Welcome Back Copper
by dcj
Summary: It's their first day back; let's see what everyone has to say.
1. Can I Be Frank?

I don't generally like to start two multi-chapter stories at the same time, but this was another one I wanted to get out before the new season started.

This is just a series of quick little scenes from Sam and Andy's first day back after suspension; they will be **short and sweet** as each person gets a turn in the spotlight. I just thought it would be cute to see how they are welcomed back into the fold by their friends/family as their first day progresses. (If you're as old as I am, you'll get the play on the title.)

As always, I own nothing Rookie Blue.

* * *

**Can I Be Frank?**

Andy was up before the alarm; she actually surprised herself. After three weeks of sleeping in with nowhere to go and little to do, you would have thought that her bad habit of running late would have gotten worse. But she was too excited. It was her first day back, **their** first day back… together.

Andy took a leisurely shower, dried her hair and styled it into an intricate French braid, and still had time to make a decent breakfast before she finally picked up her bag and headed to the door. She briefly wondered why it wasn't like this every day. She could get used to this.

She walked out of her new building with a smile on her face that only grew when she saw what was greeting her. Oh yeah, she could get used to this.

Front and center, leaning against the railing at the bottom of the stairs was none other than Sam Swarek sipping on a coffee with a second cup in his other hand. The calmness he was trying to exude was belied by the twinkle in his eyes and the dimples that would not be held back.

Andy's smile grew even wider as she descended towards him, her eyes brightening with every step. She tilted her head to the side. "Is that for me?"

Well the coffee was for her, the rest… because of her.

He finally gave up the pretense and grinned. "It is," he confirmed as he handed it over and watched her take a drink.

As she lowered the cup, he moved his hand to the small of her back and guided her towards his truck, "your chariot."

Andy couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips. She wasn't normally the girly, girl type but there was something about Sam that just made her giddy. And this moment, well she had been waiting three weeks for this moment and she was… relieved, happy, nervous, excited, so many things.

Sam opened Andy's door for her before moving around to climb into the driver's side and start it up; he turned to face her. "Ready?" He asked and she was pretty sure he wasn't just talking about the job.

"Can't wait," she confirmed, smiling at his quick nod and almost shy grin.

"Me either." He agreed, merging quickly into traffic and heading for the station, after one quick peek her way.

Silly smiles were firmly implanted on their faces by the time they reached the station. Sam was trying to convince Andy that they should go straight to his place after work, maybe even see if they could cut out early.

"You know they're going to want us to go to the Penny after work. It's been three weeks since…"

Sam dropped his chin to look at her from under his eyebrows. _Did she really think she had to remind him?_

Andy shook her head. "Okay, fine. I know you know how long it's been; I'm just saying that they're going to want to us to go for a drink, welcome us back."

"Oh, I can make you feel welcome," Sam promised with a smirk.

Andy's cheeks reddened and her eyes widened. "But they'll all know," she stuttered under her breath.

Sam grasped her hand and pulled her towards him, leaning close enough for her to feel his lips against her ear. "They'll all know what, McNally?"

"You know," she scolded, looking around to make sure no one could overhear, "what we're doing."

Sam chuckled and his voice dropped another octave. "What are we going to be doing McNally?" He asked feigning innocence.

Andy shook her head trying to keep the grin off her face, "shut up."

"I thought we decided you weren't shy." He continued to tease.

She pushed him towards the door. "Please. I can just hear Oliver now: 'you and Sammy play a little undercover last night McNally? You know that's what got you into trouble in the first place right?'

Her imitation was almost perfect.

"I was actually thinking more along the lines of cops and robbers," he chuckled. "You know; you chase me down, tackle me, try to…"

"Don't say it," Andy warned, but she gave up trying not to smile.

"You know you did," Sam taunted as he pulled open the door to the station and steered her through ahead of him.

Andy just shook her head once again. That was a battle she was never going to win.

He leaned over her shoulder and whispered into her ear. "They're still going to know when we leave the Penny together."

She turned her head to meet his gaze. "Yeah, but at least we'll look like we have a little self-control."

"Speak for yourself," Sam teased.

When they entered the bullpen, Andy was still laughing and Sam's dimples were getting a long awaited work out.

Their amusement was cut short by a growl that echoed from the top of the stairs. "Swarek! McNally! My office! Now!"

_Shit! They couldn't be in trouble already they just got there._ Andy looked at Sam and he shrugged his shoulders; he had no idea what was wrong either. But if the Boss was upset, they were not going to make him wait. Sam placed his hand on the small of Andy's back to guide her forward and with one touch, the smiles were back. They couldn't help it; this is what had been missing for the last three weeks.

They reached the door quickly but their smiles dropped the second they noted the scowl on the Sarge's face. "Sit down." He ordered and they immediately complied.

Wasting no time, Frank launched into his tirade the second they hit the chairs. "I thought you both realized that no contact meant NO contact."

"We didn't…" Andy started, her brow furrowing as she looked between Sam and Frank. "I mean, I haven't… we haven't"

"What do you call this?" Frank threw his hands up and motioned between them. "I saw you walk in together; the whole station saw it."

"No. It's not what you think." Sam argued. "I just picked her up for work this morning; the suspensions were supposed to be done today."

"Has your shift started?" Frank prompted.

"Well, no, but…"

"Do you have your badges back?" He inquired.

"No, but we… I mean I just thought…"

"That's the problem Sam you haven't been thinking."

Sam and Andy exchanged a worried look before turning back to their boss. "It was my fault," they blurted at the same time.

Frank couldn't keep up the pretense any longer and stood as he started to laugh. He turned his back to the confused pair and reached into his filing cabinet. "It's good to have you back! That was a long three weeks," he offered handing them their badges. "You were missed." He stated not able to forget all the shuffling of shifts and procuring of extra coverage from other divisions.

"You're telling me!" Sam agreed heartily, but he wasn't looking at Frank when he said it and Andy blushed for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

The implication was not lost on Frank and he got serious. "You do understand that I can't pair you two together anymore right?"

"Yeah, we got it," Sam agreed though not happily.

Andy simply nodded; she had been expecting it too.

"And as much as I need two of my best officers on the street, I have to warn you that I can't just let this slide. It's not going to be fun for awhile; you're going to have to pay your dues."

Andy found herself nodding again, accepting that they deserved everything coming to them.

"Now, go get dressed; parade's in ten." Frank ordered, shaking their hands before watching them walk away.

They reached the women's locker room first and Sam lingered, his hand still resting on the small of Andy's back. He looked around to see if anyone was watching, but before he could decide what he wanted to do, Frank's voice bellowed out once again. "Swarek!"

Sam flinched a little but didn't look back. "Yeah, Boss?"

"Men's locker room is that way!"

* * *

Rookie's Choice Awards starting soon! Check out 'The Parade' section of the Forum for more information.


	2. Slowly but Shawly

Seriously… how can you not love Oliver Shaw? These chapters were only supposed to be quick scenes 1000-1500 words at most… and then there's Oliver. Enjoy.

Thanks to SairsJ for the once over and Mamaverd for the brainstorming session.

* * *

_Sam flinched a little but didn't look back. "Yeah, Boss?"_

_"Men's locker room is that way!"_

**Slowly but Shaw-ly**

Sam met Andy's eye and raised his brows; he chose not to turn around though as he offered the boss a slight wave to let him know he got the message. With a quick wink at Andy, he pivoted on his heel and headed for the men's locker room smiling as he listened to her chuckle behind him. _That wasn't so bad,_ he thought. _Nope, it definitely could have been worse._

Sam pulled open the door and thankfully the locker room was almost empty and he was able to dress in solitude. He wasn't quite ready to explain the smile that was permanently etched on his face, not that they couldn't guess. Still he was glad for those extra few minutes alone where he could think about seeing Andy again without everyone else goading him about it. He knew he was just delaying the inevitable though; his friends and co-workers were not going to let this pass without a few smart ass remarks. He would just have to suck it up and not give them any further ammunition.

Sam had just fastened the last button on his uniform, surprised at how much he missed it, when Oliver stuck his head in the door, "you ready, brother?"

Sam pushed his locker closed and looked over at his friend. "Let's go," he said, reaching Oliver in a few short strides.

Oliver put his arm around him, "been awhile, my friend."

Sam looked at him and started to nod before his eyes were pulled away; he watched Andy as she made her way into the parade room ahead of them. "Oh yeah, what did I miss?" Sam asked distractedly.

Oliver looked pointedly at Andy. "You mean besides the obvious," he answered, only catching the tail end of Sam's eye roll when he turned back. "You'll never believe what Epstein di…"

"Glad you could join us gentlemen," Frank remarked from the front of the room. They were the last to arrive so without wasting time on formalities, the Boss started in on the general announcements.

Once everyone was up-to-date with any ongoing investigations and outstanding warrants, Frank revealed the pairings for the day. "Peck and Williams, Diaz and Nash, McNally and Shaw…"

Andy turned to grin at Oliver; she had been told that he would likely be her new partner and she was actually looking forward to it. If she couldn't have Sam as a partner, Oliver was the next best thing.

"Booking," Frank finished and the grin dropped off Andy's face when Oliver grimaced at her. She knew he was irritated that being her partner meant he was going to have to pay penance for her mistakes too. She shrugged her shoulders and tried with the smile again but he wasn't being swayed.

"And lastly…"

Sam rolled his eyes and braced himself; he knew there was only one other name besides his own that hadn't been called and after Oliver's comment this morning, he had to wonder how long they were going to be sharing the dog house.

"Swarek," Frank continued with a mocking smile. "You and Epstein will be manning the radar gun on the Expressway near Spadina."

Sam gritted his teeth and nodded. _And so it begins._

Frank nodded in return, impressed that Sam was taking it in stride, not that he probably wouldn't hear about it at the end of the day, but still, it was a start.

"Serve, Protect, and Play on Your Own Time!"

He was scowling at Dov when he said it, and everyone was well aware of what Dov had done last week, but there were also a few snickers and knowing glances thrown at Sam and Andy when some caught a double meaning.

Sam rolled his eyes before pushing a still sniggering Oliver towards the door. "Better you than me brother. Better you than me."

"Just shoot me now." Sam begged as they both watched Dov spring from his seat and flash his partner a toothy grin and a big thumbs up.

Oliver put his arm around Sam. "Come on, buddy, large coffee, my treat."

Sam's gait faltered for a second as Oliver never offered to buy anything. "You're going to need it." Shaw continued under his breath.

_Amen to that, _ Sam thought ready to head towards the sally port until Oliver redirected him to the coffee station.

Sam shook his head. "I should have known," he muttered as Oliver lifted two cups off the stack.

"You know fixing my coffee for me doesn't really count as 'your treat'."

"Yeah, well. I'm stuck in booking because of your little…" He broke off at Sam's glare. "Aaanyway, I'm a little short this week; you know, three girls, birthday parties, dental visits…"

"Oh, so you won't be at the Penny tonight either?" Sam prompted, letting Oliver know in not so many words that he was going to be 'busy'.

"No, no, my friend," Oliver disputed. "Now, I wouldn't go that far. Besides, shouldn't you be paying me back for saving your sorry ass?"

"What?" Sam jerked his head back in surprise.

"Come on; I'm sure you haven't forgotten already. Come on; now who arrived just in the nick of time when Brennan had you down and almost out? Come on. You remember."

"I've been away for three weeks man," Sam reasoned.

"I know. And since I didn't get the thank you card in the mail, I'd say your show of gratitude is way over due. Besides," Oliver was looking over Sam's shoulder watching Andy watch them as she headed back towards the locker rooms. "I'm pretty sure you've been missed."

Sam followed Oliver's eye and caught Andy's. Returning her small smile with a wink, he turned back to see Oliver's knowing grin, but he wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. "I've missed… everyone too, but…"

"Some more than others?" Oliver taunted.

_Obviously! _Sam huffed out a single chuckle. _Nice try. _"Yeah but don't tell Epstein I like you more. It might hurt his feelings."

"You're a good friend," Oliver offered mockingly, placing his arm on Sam's shoulder once again. "She's a lucky girl that McNally."

No, Sam was the lucky one and he knew it, but he couldn't say it. Oliver was practically drooling as it was, just waiting for Sam to slip up so he could pounce. He fed off this stuff and right now he was looking at Sam like he was an all you can eat buffet. And Sam wasn't about to hand him the fork.

"Yep," he replied cockily.

Oliver shook his head. _Damn it! _He should have known better than to think Sam would fall for a few well placed words. These feelings might be new for him, but that didn't mean he was naive. "So you buying me a drink or not?" Oliver tried again.

Sam grinned; he loved getting the upper hand. "You'll get your drink, just not tonight."

Oliver may have been down but he wasn't out. "What's wrong with tonight? Do you have **other** plans?" He asked in mock innocence.

Oh he had big plans, but he wasn't about to admit it to Oliver; Andy was already self conscious enough as it was and she had to spend the whole day with him.

"Come on. You always come to the Penny; at least you did before you… went under. You're not going 'undercover' again tonight are you Sammy? Don't forget; that's how you got into trouble in the first place."

_Well, Andy called that one. _

Sam flinched a little; Oliver was starting to fight dirty. "You're an ass."

"So I've been told," Oliver acknowledged proudly. "But admit it; you missed me. And I missed you; I just want you to feel the love."

_Oh he was going to feel the love alright, just not with Oliver._ "Don't worry about me, buddy." Sam smirked. "I can feel it just fine from home."

Oliver didn't doubt that for a minute. "Fine, but just so you know Zoe is expecting you for supper tomorrow night too."

_What? No._ Sam tried to calm the apprehension that was rising in his chest and took a sip of his coffee to buy some time. He wanted, no needed, a few nights with just him and Andy; they needed to figure out just what normal was, how being together was going to work before they let the rest of the world in. "How about Tuesday? I need a couple of nights to get back in the swing of things."

Oliver raised his brow before speaking in mock concern. "Remember Buddy, you're still healing; the acrobatics should probably be kept to a minimum."

Sam almost choked on his coffee and Oliver chuckled, "seriously though. Zoe is expecting you this week. She still doesn't understand why you wouldn't come over while you were on suspension." _She wasn't the only one._

"I really wasn't good company," Sam explained simply. He wasn't about to go into the details; they weren't pretty. First week, he just looked and felt like shit; there's no way he was going to let Oliver's girls see him like that. It would have only upset them, started them worrying about their dad even more than they probably already did. Second week, he was mad at the world wondering why the hell they had to stay apart, and what good it was doing. Third week, he was just a sad, sorry mess and there was no way he was letting anyone see him like that, especially Oliver. He'd never hear the end of it.

"What? Sam Swarek in a surly mood; I can't even imagine," Oliver answered feigning shock. "You're right Zoe would have totally missed your usually sunny personality."

"I'm not that bad," Sam muttered.

"Well, not anymore. For a guy who got the crap beat out of him less than a month ago, you're in surprisingly good spirits."

Sam shrugged, "just glad to be back in the action."

"Yeah, the action, the swing of things…" Oliver shook his head and grimaced. "No need to draw me a picture."

Sam finally laughed out loud; he had missed Oliver, pointed remarks and all.

"So, you'll be over on Tuesday then," Oliver confirmed. "I can tell Zoe you'll be there, tell her they'll be **one** more for supper?"

Oliver was fishing and Sam knew it; he was obviously supposed to make sure Andy came too or at the very least ask Sam to invite her. Zoe hated being out of the loop.

"Yep, **I'll** be there," Sam agreed heartily, "shouldn't be a problem."

"You're not going to make this easy are you?" Oliver grumbled.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked innocently, dimples threatening to make another appearance.

"Ass."

The two friends continued to eye each other up until the stalemate was broken by Andy's voice echoing across the bullpen. "You coming, Oliver?"

Sam turned and Oliver watched as his face lit up. "Guess I'll have to get used to that," he mused.

"What? Andy? She's actually a pretty good p…"

"No, that," Oliver interrupted, pointing to the smile on Sam's face before grinning himself.

Sam started to push Oliver's finger away from his face when Dov joined them. He hadn't even had a coffee yet and he was already buzzing in anticipation. "Ready to rock and roll, Swarek?"

_Or not._ Oliver thought as the smiled dropped quickly from Sam's face. Andy was going to have her work cut out for her if she had to counteract long shifts with Epstein. But somehow Oliver was sure she was up to the challenge.

He clapped Sam on the back before heading off towards booking. "Don't forget about Tuesday."

"I told you; **I'll** be there."

Oliver turned back. "Sam-my," he warned.

Sam didn't even offer him a look back; he simply followed Epstein out with a wave over his shoulder and a smirk Oliver couldn't see. He would call Zoe when he got to the car; tell her to set two extra plates.

* * *

Don't forget to check out the Rookie's Choice Awards starting in a few days: .net/forum/The_Parade/106712/


	3. Doin' the Nashty

Don't forget to check out the Rookie's Choice Awards in The Parade section of the forum. Categories have been posted and nominations are now being accepted.

As always, thanks to SairsJ for her keen eye.

Traci's turn. Enjoy

* * *

**Doin' the Nash-ty**

"Serve, Protect, and Play on Your Own Time!"

Frank was scowling at Dov when he said it, and everyone was well aware of what Dov had done last week, but there were also a few snickers and knowing glances thrown at Sam and Andy when some caught the double meaning.

Andy blushed a deep shade of crimson and busied herself with her notebook till everyone started to file out of the room. She stood up and quickly followed suit, trying to decide if it was worth fueling the fire or not. She really wanted to see Sam before he left, but she wasn't a fan of the knowing looks that were already coming her way. Still he could probably use the pep talk.

She, herself, wasn't jumping for joy about being stuck in booking but she knew Sam had it worse. Manning a speed trap was bad enough, but manning it with Dov, for Sam, that would be a living hell especially on his first day back.

It's not that he didn't like Dov; he did. It's just he preferred him in small doses and his resistance was low after being out of practice for three weeks; it was definitely shaping up to be a long shift for him.

Andy exited the parade room and immediately looked around for Sam, but when she finally spotted him, she could see that Oliver had it all under control. She gave him a small smile, shrugged her shoulders and turned towards booking instead. She spotted Traci up ahead. "Hey Trace, wait up."

They had missed each other this morning when Andy was in with Frank so Traci was happy to steal a little girl time in the locker room before she had to head out. The door had barely closed behind them when Traci practically dragged Andy over to her locker. There were only a few others milling about, but she lowered her voice just to be safe. "Soooo? You skipping the Penny for a little sexy time with Swarek tonight?" Traci teased. "Maybe a little divine inter-vention?"

Andy's face took on the familiar shade of red before she glared at her friend. "Inappropriate."

Traci dropped her chin. "Not when it's the truth; I saw you two walk in this morning. I mean you're together right?"

Andy frowned. "Yes, we're together, jeeze."

"So what's the problem?" Traci wondered, lowering her voice suggestively. "You know you want to."

"Come on, Trace; people are already talking. You saw them this morning and this is just our first day back. I can't even imagine how bad it'll get when we race out of here at the end of shift like we're…"

"What? Two perfectly normal adults who missed each other?"

"You know that's not what they'll be thinking."

"No, but no one says you have to **race** out of here either." Her eyes started to twinkle. "Unless of course you CAN'T keep your hands off each other."

"Traci!"

"What?" She replied defensively. "Three weeks is a long time."

Andy collapsed onto the bench beside her. "You're telling me."

Traci started to laugh. "I knew it!"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean the whole station should," Andy answered dejectedly.

"Come on, Andy. Who cares what they think? Just live in the moment; be happy." Traci looked at her sincerely. "You deserve it."

Andy smiled, as a friend Traci was one of the best, "thanks!"

Traci matched her grin before the scheming twinkle made its way back into her eyes. "Besides, whether you leave with him right after work or wait till after the Penny, I'm pretty sure everyone will figure it out tomorrow when the outline of Swarek is permanently etched into your body after your all night sex-a-thon."

"Okay. **Completely** inappropriate," Andy responded though she couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips.

Traci laughed along with her. "So when do you think that condo of yours will be rated PG again, we really want to come over and see what you've done with it."

"Yes!" Andy agreed choosing to ignore the not so subtle innuendo. "I feel like I haven't seen Leo in ages."

"I know; he misses you too. He got pretty used to having his Aunt Andy around 24/7 and apparently I'm not as much fun as you are."

Andy grinned. "I miss him too; I could have really used someone to play games with these past few weeks. I unpacked, arranged and rearranged till I couldn't take it anymore and I was still going stir crazy."

"I can't believe I was on nights and evenings for most of your suspension. We really wanted to help you."

"I know you did, but my Dad was great; he even managed to con some of his buddies into helping too. The move went fast and the rest I just picked away at to try and fill the time. You really should bring Leo over to see it."

"What about Sam?"

"Traci."

"What? I'm just wondering if I should bring Jerry too."

Andy huffed out a breath. "I don't think we're quite ready for the double dating thing."

"But you are ready for dating?"

A panicked look came over Andy's face. "Oh God, we haven't even been on a date yet." She flopped back onto the bench, lying with her fingers entwined over her eyes. "No wonder everyone is talking."

Traci laughed again. "Andy, it's fine. Just relax. Everyone will get bored, or Epstein will screw up again and it will all blow over."

"You think?"

"For sure, just try not to look **too** satisfied when you come in tomorrow."

Andy peeked out from behind her hands. "Not helping."

"No, but it is fun," Traci grinned, and reached out her hand to pull Andy up from the bench. "Come on; let's go."

The girls walked out of the locker room promising to figure out a day soon where they could get together. Turning to the sally port, Traci couldn't help but catch Andy's furtive glance back to the bullpen.

"Just go."

"What?"

"Go. Don't be such a chicken. You know you want to."

"Traci." Andy warned spying Chris at the entrance to the tack room obviously ready for his partner.

Traci saw him too and took a few steps forward before turning back. "What are you going to do? Ignore him every time you're at the barn? That's not going to work either. I'm not telling you to jump the guy; just go talk to him."

"You're right." Andy nodded smiling as she walked away. _She could do this. It was just talking._

"Go get your man!" Traci cheered down the hall.

Andy shot her a mock glare but Traci was already concentrating on Chris and didn't see it.

She took a deep breath for an extra bit of courage, but then she saw all the people milling around and lost her nerve. "You coming, Oliver?" She called out.

Andy could hear Traci's laughter echoing off the walls of the garage. She shook her head; it was starting to sound suspiciously like clucking.


	4. Crazy Little Thing Called Dov

I'm pretty sure my speed limits are off for the area I picked for them to be in, but I would appreciate it if you would overlook that small detail and just go with it.

And apparently I'm long-winded when it comes to Dov too…

* * *

**Crazy Little Thing Called Dov**

Sam was pretty sure the outline of his thumb and forefinger were permanently imprinted onto the bridge of his nose. Epstein had just started up again and the throbbing in Sam's head was increasing with every syllable.

Whenever they caught someone speeding, Sam would get on the radio and relay the information to the second team. And then just as he started to relish the silence, Dov would start right back up where he left off as if he hadn't even taken a breath.

Sam had no idea how he did it. _And he thought Andy was allergic to silence._

It wasn't even ten o'clock and Sam was pretty sure he knew every bit of gossip that occurred while he and Andy were away. Why Epstein thought he cared was beyond him but still he kept talking.

"Traci started studying for the detective's exam; she says it's pretty tough. She won't let Jerry help her though; she says he's driving her nuts. If she has to hear again how he got the top marks that year, she says she's going to strangle him with his hundred dollar tie."

Sam pushed down the button on his radio. "Yeah, we got a blue two door coming at you, right lane doing 80."

It wasn't long before Sam handed the radar gun over to Dov, thinking that maybe if he had something to do he might shut up for a few seconds. Dov happily latched onto it and then settled himself into a comfortable position. "You know; I was thinking more along the line of Guns and Gangs myself; you know, undercover? Oliver doesn't think I can hack it though; he says I get distracted too easily. You know his wife has him on a diet…"

_Like that was news to Sam._

And so the morning continued with Dov interrupting his monologue only when he had to get on the radio to alert the second team.

Over the last fifteen minutes it had been 'Gail had a run in with her mother, Gail had a run in with Chris, Gail thought Sam and Andy got off lucky, Gail may or may not be hooking up with Callaghan.'

Sam was starting to sense a theme there at the end but that wasn't the bit that interested him. First off, he couldn't believe that Gail had any opinion on his situation whatsoever. He really didn't think she would give a shit where he and Andy were concerned but apparently she hadn't been shy about her opinions on what they had done and how they had gotten off too easy.

"Yeah, the bitch is in fine form once again," Epstein announced, "and she hasn't been pulling any punches either."

"Except with Callaghan apparently," Sam mumbled to himself.

But it was the most reaction Dov had gotten from him all morning so he took it as a sign of interest. "Jury's still out on that one. You know I saw him changing in the locker room the other day…"

Sam coughed out his surprise and gaped at Dov in shock. _Why the hell would he want to know that?_

Dov looked up at Sam's reaction and immediately adjusted his line of thought. "Right. Anyway, I see them together at the Penny quite a bit. I'm pretty sure they ride together most of those nights."

"So," Sam shrugged. "I used to give McNally rides all the time."

Dov's chin dropped and he just stared at Sam with widened eyes.

Sam shook his head and blew out a frustrated breath. _What_ _possessed him to bring up McNally?_ "I'm just saying that sometimes a ride is just a ride."

"Yeah, and by ride, I mean…"

The last thing Sam wanted to know about was Callaghan's love life. The only part about that that held any interest for Sam was the fact that it wasn't with Andy. "Where's a carjacker when you need one?" He muttered to himself.

"Oh, have you ever played Grand Theft Auto? Chris and I have been playing this one game since…"

Sam tuned Dov out almost immediately; he had never been one for video games even when he was younger. He didn't play them, didn't watch them, and sure as hell didn't care to hear about them.

Sam's hand traced the familiar route back up to the bridge of his nose. They hadn't pulled anyone over in at least half an hour and Sam looked at his watch; it was after eleven. _Close enough._

He straightened up from his perch against the cruiser. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure everyone in Toronto knows we're here by now. So what do you say we go grab lunch?"

"Huh? Sure," Dov agreed as he radioed the other team and started packing up their equipment. "You wanna go to the Penny or…"

Sam climbed in behind the wheel and shut the door while Dov was still talking, and when the rookie jumped in, he immediately started heading to a little diner he liked over by the station. The food at the Penny was good, but after four straight hours of Epstein the urge to have a drink would be too tempting.

They walked into the diner and Sam headed to his usual seat nodding at the waitress who had already started picking up the coffee pot. She poured him a cup without even asking and then turned to Epstein. "And what about you sweetheart, you want a coffee too?"

"Please," Epstein responded flipping over his cup for her.

"The usual?" She asked Sam while she poured. She knew that when in uniform, he was almost always in a hurry.

At Sam's nod, she turned to Dov. "Sorry, honey. I don't know your order."

Dov picked up the menu and Sam could tell immediately that his patience was about to be tried once again. So to avoid delaying the inevitable, he snatched the menu out of Dov's hands and closed it all in one motion. "Bring him the usual too."

"Yours or…"

"Hers," Sam clarified.

Dov was pretty sure he knew which 'her' Sam was talking about and just as he was about to ask, Sam shot him a look that told him he best keep his mouth shut.

So he did… for about five seconds.

"So do you think Guns and Gangs would…"

Dov was about five minutes into his sermon about the appeal of working undercover when their lunches arrived. Sam pushed Dov's plate directly at him. "Eat, Epstein."

They had just started digging in when the bell above the door went off and Sam looked up in habit, always striving to be aware of who and what was around him. He nodded in recognition when he saw that it was Noelle and Gail.

The two ladies immediately rerouted to join their two co-workers, but as soon as they arrived at the table, their radios came to life requesting them to a respond to a possible domestic a few blocks away.

Noelle flashed her dimples at Sam before grabbing half of his sandwich and pivoting back to the door. "Thanks, Sammy. I owe you," she threw over her shoulder.

Gail shrugged and grabbed the other half of Dov's. But he wasn't as accommodating as Sam.

He glared at the blonde and Sam could have sworn that it was about more than just a sandwich. "Watch it, Peck. Payback's a bitch, you know."

She widened her eyes in mock horror. "Oooh, revenge of the nerd… should I be scared."

She turned away before Dov had a chance to respond, but whirled back after only a couple of steps. "You do realize that I don't cry as easily as that prepubescent geek-in-training you humiliated last week right?"

Again she didn't wait for his retort, just jogged for the door to catch up with Noelle.

"What was that all about?" Sam asked around a mouthful.

"Nothing. Just Peck being… Peck."

"That bad, huh?" Sam shrugged. "Whatever, kid. Oliver tried to tell me this morning so I'll find out eventually."

Dov grimaced but realized that he'd rather fess up than have Oliver make a fool of him once again. "I did pretty well on that scavenger hunt, you know when…" He let the thought trail off when Sam glared at him again.

"Anyway, they needed someone to stake out an arcade; they were trying to take down a dealer who was targeting young kids at different ones across the city. Apparently Superintendent Peck found out that some of the parents from one of the schools were going to take matters into their own hands and she stepped in. They needed someone to go in who wouldn't look out of place. It was tailor made for me and all we really had to do was just blend in, watch and wait."

"We?"

"Chris and I."

"Okay…"

"Anyway, long story short, I was doing a **great** job blending in. I played a few different games on my own, while Chris did the same; we sort of took turns – one watching or wandering while the other played and then we'd switch it up. I was in the middle of one I could play in my sleep," he looked up at Sam knowingly, "you know so I could still keep an eye on the place at the same time. Anyway, out of the blue some kid challenges me; I figured it was a good way to look like I belonged there so I said yes."

Dov swallowed hard; the embarrassing part was coming and he really looked up to Sam, didn't want him thinking he was a screw-up…again. He blew out a long breath. "Our mark came in after I had been playing the kid for about twenty minutes and we had built up a bit of a crowd too. People were getting into it and cheering us on, and I was winning but just barely."

Sam nodded; he could see the problem coming already.

Dov continued, looking anywhere but at his partner. "I, uh, may have missed the perp coming in and uh, Chris may have already taken him down when I finally finished beating the kid at his own game. It's possible I could have been rubbing it in the kid's face a little when I realized the bust went down. But then I had to run over and help Chris cuff the dealer so I couldn't really apologize till afterward."

He finally looked at Sam hoping he wouldn't be too disappointed. "Really I was just immersing myself in the role. In my defense, they were all surprised I was a cop."

"I'm sure they were." Sam conceded trying to keep the sarcasm to a minimum.

Dov could tell he was just placating him though. "It's not like I was expecting the kid to cry; how was I supposed to know he'd never lost at that game before. I was just trying to… make it believable," he finished regretfully.

Well, Sam finally got his peace and quiet but it came in the form of a discouraged and depressed Epstein. It was almost unnatural and Sam wasn't sure which was worse.

They continued to eat in silence and since half their lunch ended up out the door, it didn't take them long to finish and pay. By the time they started heading to the exit, Epstein had hardly said another two words. Sam looked back at the rookie; he was beating himself up over it more than Sam ever could.

"Shaw's never going to let me live it down," Dov muttered to himself, "like he's always been perfect or something."

When they reached the door, Sam paused for a second. He couldn't believe he was even considering it, but Oliver had been goading him this morning about Andy… and despite being annoying and overeager, the kid had good instincts. "Hey Epstein."

"Yeah?"

"Next time Shaw gives you a rough go ask him why he won't let his kids watch Toy Story."

"What? That's crazy," Dov disputed, momentarily forgetting his dejection. "Those movies are classics."

"Yeah but they bring back too many memories for him," Sam explained cryptically. "You know the first one came out right around the time we were rookies together."

"What he cry like a baby or something?" Dov queried, perking up a little.

Sam shook his head and he was having trouble containing the dimples. "No, his first UC was in this massage place that fronted for a prostitution ring."

Dov stared at Sam in confusion wondering what one had to do with the other.

"Let's just say he could've been the star of the show that day," Sam chuckled and shook his head as he remembered the fall out. "There had to have been at least twenty dolls on his desk the next morning."

"Buzz Lightyear?" Dov guessed, still confused.

Sam's jaw dropped in surprise, though he should have known Dov would think of the one with all the bells and whistles first. He stared open mouthed at Dov waiting for him to catch up.

Dov thought about it for a second. _Massage parlor… prostitutes… _

"Oh." Dov started to nod, then his eyes widened and he started to laugh. "Ohhhhhh. No way, I can't believe… Oh, I can't wait to use this. And Chris, he's going to love it…"

And he was back. _ Here we go again, _Sam thought. _Maybe he should have waited at least another couple of hours, but it was too late now._

As Sam opened the door to the diner and stepped outside, he was joined quickly by Dov. An unbidden image of the little dog from the old Looney Tunes cartoon he used to watch with his sister popped into his head. The small dog was bounding up and down and all around a much larger figure. The picture was just as he remembered it; the words, well…

"You wanna go back to the station now Swarek? You're the boss. I wanna chase some bad guys. Maybe Best will let us, if you ask. That would be great huh? You think he'll put us back out there soon. Too bad we didn't get a high speed chase today huh? Now that would've been cool. So where are we headed Swarek? Back to the station? Out on the streets? Hey, can I call you Sam?"

Sam slid his thumb and forefinger into the familiar position at the bridge of his nose. _Man he hated the doghouse._

* * *

I hope I didn't show my age too badly with that last part. If you're not familiar with the cartoon, visit YouTube and search Looney Tunes Spike and Chester and you'll get the picture.

Thanks to SairsJ for the review. And thanks to mamaverd for bringing up the Toy Story reference in our chat.

Don't forget the Rookie's Choice Awards!


	5. Pecking Order

This chapter ended up with a bit more of a serious undertone than the others, but I guess it can't all be fun and games, not everyone is going to be 100% forgiving. Some don't have that luxury.

* * *

**Pecking Order**

The door to booking slammed open and Oliver and Andy watched in amusement as Gail led the suspect in; though led was probably putting it mildly. Noelle looked quite entertained coming in behind her as Gail managed to knock the suspect into each and every surface that was even remotely sticking out.

"Watch it!" The man complained.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Oliver inquired the delight apparent in his voice.

"Tough guy here," Gail started, shoving him against the desk, "seems to have forgotten the lesson about picking on someone your own size; sent his girlfriend to the hospital."

"I didn't do anything,man," the guy yelled in defense.

"Sure you didn't," Noelle scoffed as she dumped the contents of his pockets into a plastic bin.

"Tell it to the judge," Gail suggested pushing him towards the cell.

"I'm telling you," he spat back.

"Well then you can save your breath. Cause if it was up to me…" Her gaze flickered to Andy, "punishments around here would be a whole lot stricter."

Andy and Oliver exchanged a look of wide-eyed surprise. _Well, that was interesting._

Andy huffed out a breath before turning to the cell. "I'd stick with the judge buddy; you're not getting any sympathy there."

"Can't get blood from a stone," Oliver muttered so only Andy could hear.

She couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips and Gail glared over at her. "Well pardon me, if some of us think that the rules are there for a reason."

Andy wasn't stupid; it was obvious the passive-aggressive barbs were meant more for her than the guy they just brought in. "No one's saying they aren't Gail."

"Then what are you saying? That they don't apply to everyone? That it's okay for **some people** to disregard them?"

"No Gail, I'm just pointing out that nobody's perfect. People do make mistakes."

"Yeah, Gail, people make mistakes," the prisoner echoed.

Gail spun on her heel so fast she startled the suspect and he fell back against the bench. "You," she pointed directly at him, "shut up!"

She twirled back to Andy. "You…"

But Andy had had it. "Enough Gail. I'm sorry okay. I'm sorry we can't all be perfect like a Peck. Oh wait," Andy paused, pretending to think for a moment, "perfect cops don't get their uniforms stolen out of the back of their car while they're visiting the all night psychic." She tilted her head and quirked an eyebrow at Gail mockingly. "Too bad she didn't see that one coming huh?"

Oliver started to snicker beside Andy until Gail focused her glare on him. He held up his hands in surrender; this was not his fight.

"Well, at least my clothes didn't fall off my back when I was supposed to be on the job," Gail snapped. "I'm pretty sure that's not what they had in mind by going undercover."

"Ha! Good one," a voice chimed out from the cell.

Both women glowered at him. "Quiet!" They barked in unison before turning on each other again.

Noelle placed a hand on Gail's shoulder. "I think it's time for a break," she recommended. "Why don't you ladies take a breather while Oliver and I finish up in here?"

Neither girl was willing to budge though, so the staring contest was stuck in a deadlock until Noelle added a little pressure to Gail's arm. Exasperated, the blonde finally agreed. "Fine!"

Gail stalked towards the door with Andy hot on her heels. As soon as the door swung shut, Noelle smiled proudly to herself and then looked to Oliver for corroboration, but all she got was a look of disappointment. "What?"

"Seriously?" He grumbled. "It was just getting good."

Noelle just shook her head. "Give me the damn paperwork."

* * *

Gail turned on Andy the second she cleared the door. "You got off easy, you know? You're lucky everyone thinks Swarek is God's gift to the uniform. If it was anyone else, you'd have been gone for at least three months, maybe even more. If my mom hadn't been outvoted on the tribunal…"

"Is that what this is about?" Andy asked in disbelief. "The Peck name didn't carry enough weight for you? Mama didn't get her way so now you're all pouting."

"You really have no idea," Gail insisted losing some of her thunder.

Andy took a deep breath. "Then explain it to me Gail, because you're right; I really have no idea why this is bothering you so much."

"You can't just forget about the rules, Andy."

Now that Gail had calmed down a little, Andy was trying harder to be patient, but they had already covered this. She shook her head. "I didn't disregard them on purpose; I let my feelings cloud my judgment."

"Well, you can't do that either!"

Andy was surprised at how adamant the blonde continued to be. "I know that, Gail."

"Do you?"

"Yes, I do," Andy insisted. "But Gail, I can't just turn them off either."

"Yes, you can," Gail persisted.

Well, if the Pecks were any testament, then yes, she probably could, but… "Maybe I don't want to."

"They'll just get you into trouble."

"Maybe so, but I'm not going to just turn into a robot either."

Gail was getting frustrated; she wasn't getting anywhere with Andy. She blew out a long breath before choosing a different tactic. "I told you it was a no-no."

Andy furrowed her brow in confusion.

"The takedown…" Gail reminded. When she got no response from Andy she dropped her chin and threw out her hands, "…before Fite Nite."

Andy recalled a vague conversation from the previous year and rolled her eyes. "He isn't my TO anymore."

"He was undercover, Andy; that's ten times worse. You know I should have known it would come to this as soon as I saw you two outside the Penny."

Andy shook her head in resignation. "What are you talking about now?"

"It doesn't matter; whatever. You're just… you're lucky that's all. Good for you; you got away with it."

Andy grimaced at her 'friend'. "I didn't get away with anything, Gail. I paid for it alright? And now I just want to get past it."

"You're not the only one," Gail muttered.

_What? Why would Gail…_

Before Andy could figure out exactly where the blonde was coming from, Superintendent Peck appeared in the hallway. The second she saw the two girls, she strode over and cleared her throat right behind Gail.

Andy turned her attention immediately to the superior officer, but caught a quick glimpse of Gail's face and she almost looked sick.

Elaine flashed a fake smile at Andy before she put her arm around Gail and started to lead her away. "Come on sweetheart; I have some people here you really SHOULD be talking to."

Andy was watching them walk away when Gail glanced back at her. Andy could see the trepidation clearly on her face and her overreaction was starting to make a lot more sense.

Andy offered her a small smile of encouragement before she turned away. She paused with her hand on the door to booking.

She and Gail weren't all that different; they were both legacy cops which came with certain… expectations, ones you could not easily escape. But in that moment, Andy realized that being faced with the need to rise above was infinitely easier than facing the fear of falling short.

* * *

**Don't forget The Rookie's Choice Awards! **

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	6. No, Well Maybe

****This was not an easy title to come up with; hope you like it. Enjoy

* * *

**No, Well Maybe**

Andy opened the door to booking and stepped in; the two senior officers raised their eyebrows when they saw that she was alone.

"I have to admit, McNally; you weren't the one I thought would be left standing in the end," Oliver taunted.

"Piece of cake," Andy bragged before shrugging a shoulder. "You just have to know her weakness."

"Oh. Do tell," Oliver urged sitting up taller in his seat.

Andy smirked cockily, but couldn't keep up the pretense for long and it quickly morphed into a pout. "Her mom showed up," she admitted.

Noelle chuckled at Oliver's obvious disappointment.

"She had someone Gail really **should** be talking to," Andy continued in a haughty impersonation of the elder Peck.

Noelle looked at her watch. "I should probably rescue her," she grimaced, "but then I'd probably have to kiss Mama Peck's ass for awhile."

Oliver snickered. "I got chapstick in my desk if you want it."

Noelle tipped her chin in defiance. "I think I'll take my chances with Peck's ass."

She could hear Oliver grumbling as Andy's laughter echoed off the walls. "Wish me luck," she bid as she made her way out the door.

She had only made it a few steps down the hall when she noticed a figure approaching. It was easy to see what his objective was or should she say who it was. She shook her head and chuckled under her breath when a feeling of déjà vu washed over her. He had a cup of coffee in each hand and a smile on his face; it was too tempting.

Meeting him half way down the hall, she pointed to the extra cup in his hand. "So, is that for Jerry?"

Sam furrowed his brow. That didn't make sense; Jerry's office was in the opposite direction. "No," he answered skeptically.

Noelle chuckled again, this time out loud.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Noelle maintained, shaking her head. "I just remembered something. You meeting your partner out back?"

Sam continued to look at her like she had two heads. "Uh, no, Epstein's just doing up some paperwork." He had no idea where this conversation was going.

You couldn't wipe the smile off Noelle's face; she always loved messing with him. "Well, the only other thing back here is booking and…" she looked all around and behind him. "Seeing as it doesn't look like you have anyone in custody I can't figure out why would you need to head there?"

"Uh-huh, sure," Sam nodded; he was onto her now, but he wasn't about to give her any satisfaction. "I was just going to talk to Shaw about Poker Night this week. He's hosting so…"

Sam stopped talking when Noelle leaned over and looked into the cup. "I'm pretty sure Oliver doesn't take creamer in his coffee."

Sam tilted his head, looking bored. "Go on; get it all out of your system."

"Don't mind if I do," she cooed.

She started by tapping him lightly on the cheek. "It's all right Sammy. You can admit it."

Sam twisted his head out of her reach and started to turn away. She already knew where he was going so why admit it. But that's not quite what she had in mind.

She was almost singing as she tried to jog his memory. "Bounce in your step, twinkle in your eye. If I didn't know any better I'd swear you were in lo…"

Sam was pivoting on his heel before she could even get the word out and she watched in amusement as he realized that the hot liquid was splashing over the sides of the cups. "Damn it." He muttered under his breath, checking his uniform for damage while Noelle continued to chuckle in front of him.

"You're a real riot; you know that?" Sam grumbled sarcastically.

"It's a gift," Noelle explained leaning forward into a mock bow.

He dropped his chin in annoyance. "It's only been a month, and in case you forgot, I haven't even seen her for the last three weeks so don't go getting ahead of yourself."

"Come on Sammy," she challenged knowing she was right. "I'm not blind; you and I both know that it's been way longer than a month, at least for you."

Sam rolled his eyes.

"You know I called it right?" She bragged, taking a different tactic, "after the retrain. You know you would have saved us all a lot of trouble if you had just gotten your act together then. I can't believe you of all people gave up."

"I didn't give up," Sam answered petulantly.

"I don't know," Noelle disagreed, "you were pretty happy coming in and then all hell broke loose. What happened?"

Sam grumbled out some half assed answer, but the only word she could make out clearly was 'cabin'.

"You were more than just distracted that day," Noelle insisted recalling their meeting in Frank's office that afternoon. She really had no idea what had happened but Sam had gone from looking like he'd hit the jackpot to beating the shit out of Callaghan. Something or someone had gotten under his skin.

She looked him squarely in the eye. "You were literally fighting for her that day, Sammy. What made you stop?" She asked seriously.

"Frank blew the whistle," Sam answered still trying to avoid the real issue.

Noelle dropped her chin and glowered at him. "You know what I mean."

Sam frowned; that was a not a time he wanted to remember. He shrugged his shoulders in resignation. "She chose him."

Noelle shook her head in disbelief. "You know it doesn't count as choosing when the person doesn't know they have another option."

Sam shouldn't have been surprised that Noelle had him all figured out; still, he wasn't giving it up without a fight. "What makes you think she didn't know?"

"Because I know you," Noelle persisted. "For a bad ass cop with no rules, you're actually a pretty moral guy. Did you even tell her how you felt back then?"

"She was with Callaghan. It wouldn't have done any good," Sam maintained.

Noelle shook her head. "I've seen the way she looks at you."

"Maybe now," Sam conceded. "But you can't say she didn't love him. You didn't see her when he got shot," Sam recalled wincing at the memory of the anguish on Andy's face.

Noelle was still shaking her head at him. "I'm not saying she didn't care about him, but that doesn't mean she didn't care about you too. **You** didn't see **her** when we were at your cover apartment, Sam. Jerry had to practically drag her out of there that night and all she kept saying over and over was 'Sam, where's Sam'. That doesn't come from just two nights in the sack," she claimed bluntly.

"I know she cares about me," Sam agreed, "but just don't get ahead of yourself. We're still trying to figure it out ourselves."

"I'm just saying that you put your UC career on the line for her and she almost gave up her damn job for you, if that isn't lo…"

"Ah," Sam interjected, stopping his hand midway up to avoid spilling again. "Let's just…" He took a deep breath. "Not yet, okay?" He pleaded before turning and walking back towards booking.

"Say what you want Sammy, but there's nothing to figure out. You're in love," she blurted before he could stop her again.

Sam's gait faltered for a second. Noelle was sure he was going to turn around and deny it but all he did was snort out a breath of air and shake his head. She could have sworn she saw the shadow of a dimple too.

A smile began to form on her lips, but she was startled out of her reverie when she heard Sam call out to her. "Hey, Noelle."

She looked back up at him. "Yeah, Sammy."

"You and Frank going out for supper again?"

"Uh, probably," she answered reluctantly.

Sam smirked at her, no doubt about the dimples this time. "You may want to cut back a bit; I think you've put on a little around the middle."

Noelle's jaw dropped in shock; they hadn't told anyone yet. _He's bluffing; he doesn't know anything, _she decided before schooling her features.

Sam could see that he had her though and continued on with faux sincerity. "Anything you want to get off **your** chest Officer Williams?" His eyes then dropped pointedly to her bust line before returning to her face; his grin widened. "Come to think of it…"


	7. Luke, but Don't Touch

Sam seems to have taken over Luke's chapter… how oddly fitting. Except now I'm up to almost 3000 words when the cap was supposed to be 1500 – well in my defense, Luke's part is only about 1500 words. Enjoy! And thanks as always to SairsJ.

* * *

**Luke but Don't Touch**

Sam ducked into booking and pulled the door closed as quickly as he could; holding tight to the knob he held his weight against the entry.

Muffled through the door, they heard Noelle pound once and then. "That was low even for you, Swarek."

"It's all right, Noelle. You can admit it," Sam taunted echoing her earlier teasing.

"Ass," she yelled.

Once Sam was certain she had walked away, he turned towards the duo at the desk.

"You're a brave man, Sammy," Oliver praised. "But you should know better than to piss off a pregnant woman."

"Hey, I was just being honest," Sam defended.

"I'm sure you were. But have you forgotten the first time you came over when Zoe was pregnant with Izzie? You were being honest that night too."

"Oh yeah, shit," Sam recalled. "I don't think Zoe spoke to me for two weeks after that."

"And I heard about it each and every day for those two weeks," Oliver complained. "Please tell me you didn't tell Noelle she was gaining weight."

Sam grinned sheepishly.

"You are an ass," Oliver mumbled under his breath.

"I had to though; she was going on and on about…" Sam paused, not quite sure how to say it or if he even wanted to. "Never mind."

Oliver raised his eyebrow; now that sounded like something he would have to talk to Noelle about later. Of course, he'd have to butter her up first especially after Sam put his foot in it.

"Stop looking at me like that; it was nothing," Sam dismissed. "She thinks no one knows," he explained hoping to change the subject.

Oliver scoffed. "Please. After three kids, I probably knew before she did."

Andy snorted and Oliver glared over at her. "You doubt now, but just wait until you two…"

Sam's jaw dropped as Andy started to choke on her coffee. He recovered quickly though. "When do you think she and Frank will announce it?" Sam questioned, staring Oliver down and daring him not to work with him on this one.

Oliver smirked at Sam as he rubbed Andy's back soothingly. "She'll probably want to wait a bit longer, get past the 12 week mark," Oliver offered knowledgeably. "And I'm pretty sure that the seminar we were all subjected to on office fraternization stalled them a little too."

"Seriously," Andy squeaked.

"Yep, there's three hours of my life I'll never get back," Oliver complained. "Of course, Epstein was busy taking notes; I'm pretty sure he didn't get that they were talking about what NOT to do."

Andy's face had just settled into a deep shade of red when she realized Sam was holding an extra coffee. "Is that for me?" She wondered, anxious to change the subject again.

Sam stepped forward and held the cup out with a grin. "Just the way you like it."

Andy was already taking her first sip when Oliver reached out for the second cup.

Sam pulled it back quickly. "What the hell?"

Oliver frowned. "What? You bring McNally a coffee and nothing for me?"

"Sorry, brother you're on your own," Sam replied before turning to wink at Andy. "Hey is this guy processed?" He asked tilting his head to the prisoner Gail had brought in earlier.

"Yeah, he's all done," Oliver confirmed.

Sam looked pointedly at his friend and the dimples deepened in his cheeks. "Well maybe you can get yourself a coffee after you take him back to holding. I can cover for you if you like," he offered with mock innocence.

Oliver stood up and grumbled about having to get his own drink, wondered if Sam hadn't planned it that way from the start. He opened the cell to remove the suspect and turned to his friend. "Just remember, you're covering me not McNally."

Andy blushed at the obvious innuendo while Sam just smirked. "It's called multitasking," he quipped wiggling his eyebrows suggestively at Andy.

Oliver just rolled his eyes. "Should I leave my tie around the door handle?"

Sam laughed while the suspect was alternating his gaze between the couple and Shaw; he couldn't wrap his head around what was happening here. They were so casual about it all.

"What are you looking at?" Oliver growled.

"Is it always like this?"

"Pretty much," Oliver answered with a shrug.

"Shaw?"

Oliver turned back at his name and knew exactly what his friend was thinking; he waved him off. "Don't worry; I'll take my time," he assured them and he ushered the prisoner out the door.

As soon the door latched closed, Sam sat down on the desk right next to Andy; she was looking away and playing with her pen. He leaned over and placed his hand over hers to still it.

Andy shivered in response. Sam leaned a little further and waited for her to tilt her head up so he could meet her eye. "So, is Shaw driving you crazy? Missing your old partner yet?" He wondered rubbing his thumb along the back of her hand.

Andy nodded, normally she'd tease him a little but she wasn't sure how much time they had. "Oh yeah. Can't really do this with Oliver," she whispered huskily and started to close the distance between them; all she had to do was push forward a little in her seat and she could probably reach his lips.

The smile on Sam's face was growing the closer she got to him, but he couldn't wait. He was just beginning to lean down himself when the door swung open. Andy froze and Sam just about toppled over; he righted himself quickly though, ready to tell his friend he didn't take nearly long enough. But it wasn't Oliver.

Sam's eyes met Luke's and it was hard to tell who was more surprised. Luke stood motionless with his phone still to his ear. "What? Huh? Sorry, I'll call you back."

He frowned at Sam. He had been walking down the hall when he saw Oliver leave with a suspect. He figured between transferring the man to holding and the inevitable snack break, he should have a good solid five to ten minutes alone with Andy. What he hadn't banked on was Sam beating him to it.

Sam's hand was still on Andy's and Luke looked pointedly at it. Sam could feel Andy tense up but he wasn't going to give in to Callaghan's pressure. He let his thumb trail across the back of Andy's hand again and again until he felt her relax.

Luke didn't appreciate being ignored though. "I'm not interrupting anything am I?" He asked bitterly.

"Would you leave if I said yes?" Sam goaded.

Luke avoided the barb. "I thought you were out on the Expressway today."

"Yeah, well, we finished up and came in to do the paperwork."

"Don't you think you should be getting to it then?"

Sam shrugged, "that's what I have a rookie for." He looked back to Andy who still seemed nervous. "My new one's not as pretty as my last one though," he whispered just loud enough for her to hear it.

Luke watched Andy's cheeks redden and a small smile creep up on her face. "I don't think Best would appreciate…"

"Why don't you let Frank decide that for himself?" Sam interjected.

"Frank," Luke muttered to himself. "Poker buddy, friend, I should have known he'd let you…"

"We did our time," Sam interrupted and let go of Andy's hand so he could stand up; he wasn't going to let Luke drag Best into this.

He took two steps towards the detective, but before he could finish his thought, Dov burst through the door. "Swarek, we have to go."

"I'll be right there," Sam responded his eyes still trained on Luke.

"No, I really think we should go now," Dov urged.

Luke smirked at Sam. "You heard the man."

Sam looked back to Andy and searched her eyes; he wasn't going to leave her alone with Luke if she wasn't okay with it.

Andy gave him a small reassuring smile deciding she might as well get this over with. She stood up and slid her hand down his arm stopping when she could clasp his hand. "Thanks for stopping by Officer Swarek. Always a pleasure," she finished quietly.

He looked her deep in the eye. "Always," he agreed with a nod and then he leaned in next to her ear. "Pleasure… we'll get to later," he promised and chuckled when he felt her shiver again.

Luke cleared his throat but Sam just ignored him. He winked at Andy and left.

Luke waited for the door to latch closed before he turned on her. "You know you're lucky it was me and not the Sarge… or worse, Peck. You know she's floating around here somewhere."

Andy huffed out a breath. She would never describe what the superintendent did as floating; everything that woman did was with a purpose. "I saw her," Andy confirmed flopping back down into her seat.

"Then what the hell were you thinking?" Luke berated throwing his hands out. "Oh that's right you don't think when you're around Swarek." The sarcasm was dripping from his voice.

"I was **thinking** that it was okay for me to talk with a co-worker, Luke. I'm pretty sure it's allowed."

"He's not just your co-worker, Andy and everybody knows it. You can't be flaunting it around here; you're only asking for trouble."

"We're not flaunting anything, Luke."

He scoffed. "The man was practically on top of you, Andy."

She chuckled humorlessly; she wasn't even going to dignify that with a comment. "Why are you even here? You don't have a suspect," she noted looking around.

"I'm here because I care about you and I just don't think Swarek…"

Andy interrupted; she was indignant. "You came to lecture me about Sam?"

"I was hoping I wouldn't have too. I thought you were alone and I just wanted to talk to you. But then I see…"

"You didn't see anything Luke."

"I'm not stupid Andy. And I still care what happens to you."

"You gave up the right to care when you jumped into bed with Jo."

"We were going to be married Andy. I can't just turn that off."

"You managed just fine when you were at the Edinboro," she taunted.

Luke blew out a breath; this was not going how he had planned. "We need to get past this, Andy."

"**We** don't need to do anything."

Luke had closed the distance between them and reached out to touch her hand, but she pulled it away quickly. She grabbed the pen again to keep her hands occupied.

Luke shook his head. "Andy, I only want what's best for you."

"Well you don't need to worry; Sam's got that covered."

And if she was honest with herself, he had for awhile. She spent a lot of time thinking while she was off and she realized that she had been blind to a lot of things. Sam had said it himself he was there when it mattered. And when she truly thought about it, it always mattered, every second, every hour, of every day and she wouldn't have it any other way.

"If he did, he wouldn't have put you in danger like that," Luke reasoned. "He thinks he can just charm his way out of anything. Well his charm didn't help him this time did it? It almost got him killed and could have gotten you killed too."

Andy shook her head. "First of all it was Boyd that put him in danger."

"Andy," he cautioned.

"Whatever, Luke. I know that I didn't help matters."

"Just be careful," he warned reaching out again.

Andy slid her chair back away from him trying to gain some distance when Oliver opened the door. Luke noticed his hands were empty. "Don't you need a coffee or something?"

Oliver looked over to Andy and could see the gratitude in her eyes. "Nope, I'm okay right here. You know my wife has been trying to get me to cut down so..."

He walked over and slipped back into his chair sliding it in between Andy and Luke, creating a barrier. He felt Andy's hand on his arm squeezing her thanks.

"Was there anything else Detective Callaghan?" Oliver asked in mock innocence.

Luke looked around the senior officer. "I won't just stand by and let him…"

"Yeah, you will," Andy challenged leaving no room for argument.

After blowing out a loud breath of frustration, Luke spun on his heel and headed for the door. The second it clicked shut, Andy turned to Oliver. "You are a life saver."

Oliver shrugged. "Yeah well, Serve, Protect and Frighten Boyfriends; it's my new mantra."

Andy tilted her chin and gave Oliver the eye. "He is **not** my boyfriend."

"You know what I mean; it's good practice for when my girls get older. Besides your **real** boyfriend gave me the heads up."

Andy tried not to grin at that. She wasn't sure which she was more pleased with Sam looking out for her or thinking of him as her boyfriend. A faint blush colored her cheeks. "Oliver…" she started softly deciding she should probably correct him; she and Sam hadn't discussed any of this.

Oliver held up his hand; he knew it was true whether they admitted it or not. "Sorry McNally; your words mean nothing to me. Now if you want to talk coffee…"

Andy giggled; she loved Oliver. "One sugar, no cream?" She confirmed standing up.

Oliver grabbed her wrist as she went by. "Not yet. Wait till we're sure he's gone. Not for fifteen minutes."

An unintentional grin was starting to spread on Andy's face. "What?" Oliver asked in confusion.

Andy just sat there grinning from ear to ear lost in thought.

Oliver's phone beeped while he was still shaking his head. _Women. _It was a text from Sam_. 'Well he looks a little worse for wear. Was that you or Andy?'_

'_You mean MCNALLY?'_

'_Funny. Yes McNally.'_

'_Where is he?'_

'_Just slammed his office door. Looks like he's in there pouting. How's she?'_

Oliver looked over at Andy and she was still in a daze; he frowned, still completely confused. _'Got some stupid grin on her face.'_

Sam was trying to decide if this was a good thing or bad thing when Oliver continued. _'Don't think it's about him though. She WAS happy to see him go, but started grinning when I told her she had to wait for fifteen minutes to make sure he was gone.'_

Sam smirked to himself, _definitely a good thing. 'Thanks.'_

'_Yeah well, you owe me a coffee.'_

'_What you're not making McNally get you one?'_

'_Didn't say that.'_

'_Consider it OUR thanks.'_

'_Joint presents already Sammy?'_

'_Ass.'_

Sam scrolled up to a different contact. _'I hear you got fifteen minutes to kill. I'm pretty good with that. Wanna meet in the file room?'_

Andy was pulled from her reverie when her phone vibrated in her pocket. She slid it out of her pocket and then had to fight Oliver off from trying to read it over her shoulder. When she grinned again, Oliver knew he was right in thinking it was from Sam.

Andy contemplated for a moment. _'Better make it twenty,' _she typed in.

She stood up. "Where you headed McNally?"

"Um, I uh…"

Oliver watched as her face flushed and decided to let her off the hook; he liked seeing her happy and Sam too. "Just make sure you do come back with my coffee," he advised. "I'll call you if anything comes in."

Andy surprised him by coming over and giving him a quick hug. "Thanks… for everything."

* * *

After stalking back to his office and slamming the door, Luke sat at his desk staring out the window not really seeing anything until movement from the right caught his eye. He watched Sam as he made his way out and down the hall. When he reached the door to the file room, Sam looked back at Frank's office. Satisfied that the Sarge was occupied, he pulled his gaze away and it landed on Luke. Sam held his eye for only a second before twisting his head quickly away and ducking into the room.

Before Luke could return to the pile of paper he had shoved aside on his desk, he saw Andy come out of booking. She took a quick look around before following in Sam's wake.

He leaned back in his chair, rolling his pen in his hand_. He was tempted to let Best know they were in there, but Sam would know it was him and then what would Andy think. No, he had to let it be. He just had to hope that Swarek screwed it up on his own. _

Luke huffed out a single chuckle. _Who was he kidding? Swarek wasn't going to mess this up. He'd been waiting in the wings for too long. Hell, he put his job on the line for her, maybe even his life._

Luke couldn't help but wonder if he would have done the same. _Would he have given up his job up for Andy? Risked it all? Would she have done it for him?_

He wasn't sure in either case, but the answer was clear when it came to Sam. She would and she had. He would and he had.

_Yeah… it was time to let it be._


	8. Trial by Jerry

You know, I'm not really sure what Jerry's opinion of Andy is. He has defended her to Boyd in the past but almost reluctantly. When he told Luke who 'the breach' was, I'm not sure what his overwhelming emotion was. Who was he trying to protect? Andy or Luke or Sam? We haven't seen a whole lot of interaction between Jerry and Andy. I'd be interested to hear what you think Jerry's opinion of the situation is. Hopefully this is plausible.

* * *

**Trial by Jerry**

As soon as they made it out into the hallway, Sam pulled out his phone but not before he shoved at Dov's shoulder. "I told you to wait at your desk..."

"I know but the Sarge came over," Dov defended.

Sam furrowed his brow. "What did you tell him?" He asked distractedly, more concerned with punching the keys on his phone.

"I didn't have to tell him anything," Dov responded. "He pretty much guessed."

_Flashback_

"_Epstein, you're back," Frank noted coming up behind the rookie._

"_Yes, sir," Dov confirmed, "just entering in all the paperwork from this morning."_

_Frank looked around the bullpen. "Where's your partner?"_

_Dov wasn't sure what to say; he didn't want to get on the bad side of Swarek especially now that they'd sort of bonded. "He's uh…"_

_Frank glowered. "Go drag Swarek's ass out of booking and make sure he helps you get that done; Barber's waiting for you."_

"_Detective Barber, Sir?"_

_Frank nodded. "Yeah, you two will be helping him this afternoon with a…"_

"_Yes, Sir." Dov sprung up from his seat and was halfway to the hall before Frank even told him what they were helping him with._

_End Flashback_

Sam tucked his phone away, satisfied with the response. "What are you so excited for anyway?"

"We get to help Detective Barber," Dov answered as if it were obvious.

Sam shook his head. "We won't be checking out meth houses, Epstein. We're in the doghouse, remember? We're either watching traffic cam footage or reviewing files."

"Oh." Dov was disappointed; he hadn't thought of it that way.

"Yeah… oh." Sam was not looking forward to helping Jerry at all. The Sarge probably told him to get them to do as much of his dirty work as possible. He could only hope that Jerry would take it easy on him; except Sam had taken most of Jerry's money in poker a few nights ago, so it was possible he'd be looking for a little payback. And what better way than to make Sam sift through camera footage or worse, old witness statements. He knew how much Sam hated that.

"How much paperwork we got left?" Sam wondered. "Can you drag it out a little?"

"Sorry, last one," Dov answered sheepishly.

"Well, meet me in Jerry's office as soon as you're done then."

"Uh…"

"What?" Sam asked exasperatedly.

Dov pulled his shoulders up, bracing for the worst. "Sarge said that you should…"

Sam glared at Dov and then snatched the report out of his hand. "At least make yourself useful and get me a cup of coffee." Sam had forgotten his coffee back in booking and if he was in for an afternoon of Epstein and paperwork he was going to need it.

Happy to oblige, Dov wandered over to the machine to get them both some.

Sam had just started punching things into the computer when the Sarge walked by heading back up to his office.

"Swarek, how are those reports coming along?" He inquired smugly.

Sam forced a smile. "Last one, Boss."

"Good, Barber's got a new case and he needs an extra hand or two. I told him you and Epstein would be happy to help him."

By the tone of the Sarge's voice Sam could tell that it wasn't going to be fun, but he wasn't going to give up the pretense. "Whatever you say, Boss."

Frank clapped Sam on the shoulder and chuckled lightly. He had to give Sam credit; he figured after even one day with Epstein he'd be cracking. "That's what I like to hear."

Sam rolled his eyes and quickly saved the report to the computer while Dov continued chatting with another officer. "Epstein! Let's go!"

Dov jumped a little and stumbled over a goodbye as he quickly made his way back to Sam. He passed him his coffee and they headed up to the detectives' offices.

Sam knocked once before walking right in. "Jer," he addressed warily.

"Good, there you guys are," Jerry offered by way of greeting. "I just got started here, but we've got witness statements to go through and camera footage that we need to take a look at. We might have to pull some old files too because this MO reminds me of another case from a couple of months back."

Sam glanced over at Dov with an 'I told you so' all over his face.

"Don't give me that Sammy. You're the one that can't keep it in his pants. You were under freaking cover," he ranted.

Epstein started to snicker, but held back the retort when both men glared at him.

"I'm surprised…" Jerry shook his head. "I'm trying to do you a favor here. Frank was going to put you on desk or detail you to Financial Crimes. You should be thankful you got me instead. I'll take it easy on you, but you and McNally… man, you gotta reel it in a little if you ever want to get back to the good stuff."

Sam shook his head. "Don't worry about McNally and me; we know what we're doing."

Jerry scoffed. "I'm pretty sure you knew what you were doing then too. You knew how stupid that was but you did it anyway. I know you like to bend the rules buddy, but you have to admit, this time you went too far. You're lucky one of you didn't get transferred out or worse."

"We did the time Jerry; it's all good. We learned our lesson."

"Did you?"

Dov just stood off to the side watching as the stare down began, but when a door slammed next to them, all three looked over to see Luke shoving papers around his desk. And he was none too pleased.

"What do you suppose that's all about?" Jerry wondered aloud.

"McNally madness," Dov supplied knowingly.

"He's not the only one," Jerry muttered nodding his head towards Sam who had just pulled out his phone and started exchanging texts with someone.

A few minutes later, Sam looked up with a slight smirk on his face. "You said you needed some old files pulled."

Jerry looked at him skeptically; _Swarek was actually offering to go to the file room_. That could only mean one thing. "Not quite what I meant when I said reel it in buddy."

"Not sure what you mean," Sam stated with mock innocence. "I'm just here to help. You got a list?"

Jerry frowned but there was only so much he could do. Dov took a few steps forward ready to follow after Sam.

Sam turned his head in surprise. "What are you doing?"

"We're a team remember," Dov explained happily. "I was going to help you…"

"Good idea," Jerry agreed picking the list up off his desk and holding it out to Dov.

Sam snatched the list from his hand and glared at the detective. "I think I can handle this one on my own." He turned his stare on Dov. "You! Stay here."

"I hope you do know what you're doing, Sammy, because I'm not so sure," Jerry cautioned. "You have never taken your eye off the prize, never. Now look at you; sneaking around undercover, pushing your luck meeting up in the file room."

Dov's eyes widened as realization dawned on him. He shook his head; _he should have seen that one coming._

"You do realize that you may never work undercover again," Jerry continued.

Sam tilted his head to the side passing Jerry a look of disbelief.

"You might not," Jerry warned.

"Maybe not for Guns and Gangs," Sam conceded. "But that's not the kind of UC I want anyway. Frank will throw some short stints my way, in and out, home every night. I don't want to disappear for months at a time anymore."

Jerry shook his head as his voice rose up an octave. "See that's what I'm talking about. It's all you've ever wanted since you got out of the academy, that first stint and you were hooked. You live for that stuff."

Sam shrugged. "Found something better."

Jerry was still shaking his head. "You're changing… she's changing you."

"Get him something to do," Sam ordered gesturing towards a startled Dov who had been standing by silently taking it all in. Sam looked over at Jerry. "I got this," he assured.

And with that he left.

* * *

About twenty minutes later, Dov and Jerry both looked up from files when they heard Sam enter. His eyes were alight but his hands were empty.

Dov snickered, but Jerry wasn't impressed; Sam obviously hadn't listened to a single thing he had said. "You forget something?" Jerry wondered sarcastically.

Sam stepped back out and grabbed a stack of files that he had purposely set on the table outside. "Nope," he answered dropping them unceremoniously on Jerry's desk before flashing him a grin.

"You're not fooling anyone, Sammy. I'm not stupid."

Sam's smile faded; this was getting old fast. "Maybe you just know all the tricks," he taunted. "I hate to break it to you but you and Nash weren't exactly stealth yourselves."

"It's true," Dov agreed. "We all had it figured out at the academy and we weren't even cops yet."

Jerry scowled at the rookie for taking Sam's side. "Fine, we've pushed it a little," he admitted turning to Sam. "But that's nothing compared to..."

Sam huffed out a breath. "It was still something you could have gotten suspended over, and it was for a woman. Was she leading you astray?"

Jerry dropped his chin and gave his friend a warning look. "Sam."

Sam shook his head. "No. Don't tell me it's different because it's not. And you wanna talk changing. You never wanted kids, ever. Now look at you. You actually sold Stella; you loved Stella."

"Yeah, well I lo… fine… priorities change, but **we** didn't get caught. **We** aren't under a microscope right now. One wrong move and you could be gone Sammy." Jerry paused to take a deep breath. "Don't get me wrong; I like seeing you happy." He chuckled to himself. "It's a little weird, but it's nice for a change. It's just… I'm your friend Sammy and I have to wonder if she's good for you."

Sam scoffed. "Did you forget that she's your girlfriend's best friend?"

"Doesn't mean she's what's best for you."

Sam pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. "Is this the part where you tell me I can do better?"

Dov almost stood at that; Andy was one of his best friends and it didn't get any better than her.

Jerry held out his hand to stop Dov. "No, it's the part where I tell you, you better make sure you know what you want; you get to a certain point and there's no going back."

_I don't wanna go back and neither does she, _Sam thought. He knew what he was doing and he knew how he felt; if Jerry didn't get it, tough. He picked up the first file. "What am I looking for?"

* * *

The three men had been reviewing files for the better part of an hour, but Jerry was having trouble concentrating. He knew he had pissed Sam off and he worried that he'd pushed too hard. He started to think about Traci and how he felt when they first got together. How he couldn't get enough of her, how he wanted to see her all the time, be with her whenever he could. _Sure Sam and Andy were careless, but he and Traci had been too. And now look where they were. Who's to say Sam and Andy wouldn't get there too? It was time for an olive branch._

"I got interrogations tomorrow," Jerry stated eyes glued to his file.

Sam glanced over at him.

"Could probably use a hand with some of them," Jerry continued still looking down.

"Aren't you worried that I'll get distracted," Sam goaded obviously still upset.

"Only by my brilliance," Jerry quipped back.

Sam raised an eyebrow and looked over at him.

"Well, that and I heard she and Ollie would be out on traffic detail all day so I figure we're safe."

Sam chuckled and then tipped his chin up in defiance. "Fifty bucks says my witness cracks before yours does," he challenged, easily accepting his friend's peace offering.

"Did I say she'd be out all day? I meant all morning and the witnesses are coming in the afternoon," Jerry taunted.

"I'll still kick your ass," Sam boasted. "I'm not that bad."

This time Jerry raised an eyebrow at him and they both turned to Dov for the tie breaker. "You really are," Dov confirmed with a nod.

Jerry started to laugh as Sam glared at the rookie and pointed forcefully to the file in his hand. Without another word, Dov dropped his head back down to get to work.

Sam had just started back in on his own file when the silence was broken by Jerry's quiet musing. "Maybe McNally likes to watch."

* * *

Thanks to Sairs J.

Only a few days now...


	9. Diaz I Say, Not as I Do

This one was a little tough. Chris isn't really an overly funny guy; the humor with him I think comes more from his naiveté and hopefully I captured that a little. I have to say though, that I do like the name of the chapter.

* * *

**Diaz I Say, Not as I Do**

Sam had just started back in on his own file when the silence was broken by Jerry's quiet musing. "Maybe McNally likes to watch."

"I'd like to watch," Dov noted excitedly.

Sam's mouth dropped open and a surprised chuckle escaped. _Was he serious? _ He looked over to see Jerry shaking his head before he turned to a clueless Epstein who was looking back at him hopefully. Sam couldn't help but continue to laugh until the amused twinkle in his eye was replaced by an evil glint. "Sure, Epstein; you can watch…"

Dov's face lit up until…

"…about ten hours of traffic cam footage." Jerry finished for Sam as the senior officers chuckled once again.

Dov wasn't ready to just give up though. "Won't you need a judge? You know, to decide who the winner is."

"Rook's got a point," Jerry admitted.

"See you need me," Dov informed them, excitement taking over once again.

Sam pointed him back to the file on his desk. "Prove it."

"Yes, Sir," Dov agreed with a smile. "I won't let you down, Sir."

Sam shook his head and returned to his own file. _It didn't take much to make Epstein happy._ Sam wondered if he was getting soft because he was seriously considering letting Dov in on the interrogations.

* * *

About a half hour and not much progress later, the three men heard a commotion down the hall. Stepping out of the office they saw Chris and Traci practically dragging some guy towards booking; he looked totally out of it. Traci was covered in a substance that they were sure they really didn't want to know about and they watched as she shoved Chris and the perp into booking and then headed off towards the locker room. It took less than thirty seconds for Oliver to come rushing out the same door. He looked up to see Jerry grumbling as he handed a couple of bills to a smiling Sam.

"You do not want to go in there!" Oliver announced. "I think I may have lost my appetite!"

"Is that even possible?" Dov wondered aloud.

"You know what this means?" Jerry posed anxiously.

Dov's eyes widened. "What?"

"The predictions about 2012 were right."

Sam and Jerry snickered as Oliver wheezed out a fake one in return. "Laugh it up boys, but as my best friends, it will be up to you to revive me."

Jerry and Sam started wrestling each other both announcing at the same time. "Jer'll do it." "Sammy'll do it."

"Wow! Really feeling the love there boys," Oliver retorted sarcastically. "Somebody ring me when Diaz comes back out with him."

"Where are you going?" Sam asked worriedly; the guy had been putting up a pretty decent fight.

"What?" Oliver shrugged. "She and Diaz have it under control; the guys going to pass out again any minute anyway." Oliver flipped his head quickly to the side. "Did you hear that?"

Sam took an anxious step forward. "What?"

Oliver grinned, a real one this time. "There's a sandwich in the break room calling my name."

"You're such an ass."

Oliver chuckled and offered a wave over his shoulder. "At least it's not the end of the world."

* * *

Oliver had left Andy and Chris inside booking trying to muscle the perp over to the desk. Their noses were scrunched up in horror and they were doing their best to breathe only through their mouths. Apparently, the guy had passed out in a bar and when the smell finally reached the owner, he tried to kick the guy out and he started to get belligerent. That's when they called the cops.

After a few minutes, Chris had him propped up against the desk while Andy gingerly pulled items from his pockets. When they were finally able to get him into the cell, Andy pulled off her purple gloves and turned to Chris. "Where'd Trace go?"

Chris grimaced. "The guy threw up outside the bar, ended up mostly on himself but he tried to grab hold of Traci to hold himself up and well, she needed to change."

Andy shuddered. "Well let's get this done so we can get him out of here."

She grabbed a can of deodorizer from the desk and sprayed it around paying special attention to the part of the desk he had leaned on; _at least it should help a little._ When she finally sank back into her chair, Chris pulled up a seat beside her and they started on the paperwork.

"Good day?" Chris wondered trying to make small talk.

Andy shifted her eyes from the computer and looked at him doubtfully. "It's booking, and you just brought in a guy covered in barf."

Chris offered her a shy smile. "So that's a no?"

Andy shook her head. "No, it's fine. I might as well get used to it."

Even though there was no one else there but the guy in the cell, Chris' eyes shot around the room and he lowered his voice. "I still can't believe you… you know," he finished sheepishly.

"Chris!"

"Well I can't," he defended. "Seriously, Andy, you went after Swarek when he was undercover; what were you thinking?"

Andy shook her head but kept it down and trained on the screen. "I couldn't help it Chris. I just… I didn't know when I would see him again."

"You should have waited."

She finally looked up at him. "Don't you think I know that?"

He was shaking his head. "I'm surprised Gail's mom let you off that easy."

Andy scoffed loudly.

"What?"

"Gail let it slip that her mom was outvoted."

Chris chuckled. "So I guess it's not a dictatorship then."

Andy couldn't help but laugh with him. "Apparently not; either way though, we did the time and we've learned our lesson."

"So have the rest of us," Chris complained.

Andy flinched. "Yeah, I heard, sorry about that."

"It's all right; it wasn't that bad," Chris responded, ever the optimist. "The jokes were actually pretty good that week," Chris snickered. "Every time Detective Barber got anywhere near Traci, Shaw or Williams would yell out 'HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE 'EM' or 'INAPPROPRIATE'. One time they even snuck up behind them and put on a little," he squinted trying to come up with the right words, "refresher course I guess."

Andy furrowed her brow in confusion as Chris chuckled again in memory.

"Traci and Detective Barber were in a close conversation and Shaw pulled them over to the top of the stairs but wouldn't let them separate. Officer Williams stood beside Shaw and motioned at the three feet between her and him and said 'appropriate' and then Shaw motioned to the small space between Traci and Detective Barber and said 'inappropriate'. It was awesome; I don't know how many times they repeated the 'appropriate' and 'inappropriate' before Detective Barber stalked off but, yeah, he avoided Traci pretty much the rest of that day."

Andy chuckled mostly glad it wasn't her. She shrugged. "Just goes to show it's too little too late anyways."

"What do you mean?"

"Jerry and Traci…"

"You and Swarek," Chris countered before she could continue.

Andy tilted her head and quirked an eyebrow in challenge. "You and Gail."

A faint blush colored Chris' cheeks. "There's nothing going on with Gail and me." He couldn't quite meet Andy's eye though.

"Oh, my God; you still have feelings for her," Andy accused.

"I… it doesn't matter; I…"

"Does she know?"

"I don't think so and I don't think I'm going to tell her either."

"Why not?"

"I'm still not sure I trust her."

Andy could relate to that; trust was a huge thing for her, but if he still had feelings for Gail. "Maybe you owe it to yourself to find out if you can…" she shrugged, "maybe a second chance?"

"You didn't give Luke a second chance," Chris responded knowingly.

Andy narrowed her eyes. "It wasn't the same and you know it. You and Gail weren't engaged. She didn't… you know." Her eyes softened. "And I'm happier now anyway… Sam makes me happy."

"I'm glad," Chris agreed. "You know I was never really sure about you and Luke."

"I'm not sure I was either," Andy conceded.

"Well you should always follow your heart and I think yours must have known."

Andy nodded and started punching the keys again; she had a feeling Chris was right. "What about your heart? What's it telling you?"

Chris shook his head. "It's not sure. I miss her, but how do we go back?"

"Did you ever get the whole story?"

"Yeah Dov told me."

"And…"

"And I told Gail that even though nothing happened…"

Andy looked at him curiously. _If nothing happened, then why…_

"He kissed her… on the wrist."

She dropped her chin in surprise. "That was the kiss."

"Yes, but I'll tell you what I told her. She doesn't let people get close to her; he shouldn't have gotten close enough to even do that. She doesn't let people in; I mean do you know how long it took me…"

"Chris."

"What?"

"Dov is your best friend. You invited Gail to live with you AND your best friend. She saw him every day; how could he not get close." Andy grinned over at him, trying to lighten things up. "Besides, Dov grows on you…"

Deep down, he knew she was right. Dov was a great guy and it was only a matter of time before Gail got it; it still hurt though. "I just, well, what if…"

Andy furrowed her brow.

"What?" He responded.

"Well… you and Dov are good. And… you obviously trust him again. You forgave him."

"Yeah, well, I'm not in lo… I mean I wasn't in lo…" Chris took a deep breath. "He's my best friend and he was high so I gave him the benefit of the doubt."

"Maybe you should give her a little benefit too." Andy shrugged. "It's only fair."

Chris' shoulders hunched; he had been wondering about that lately too. "We'll see," he conceded before perking up and giving her a sideways glance. "Maybe if I go undercover…"

"Chris!" She giggled nervously startled that he had even gone there.

"What?" He grinned back at her.

"You know what," she declared shoving his elbow off the armrest. "And I wouldn't recommend it."

Chris looked at her seriously. "You wish you hadn't…"

"Oh, God no," she disputed. "I mean; I should have never. He could have been… I could have been." She took a deep breath. "Let's just say it wasn't the most ideal situation, but no, I can't regret it. I wouldn't go back and change it but I won't be doing it again anytime soon either."

"What happens if he gets called under again?"

Andy shook her head ruefully. "I have a feeling that's not going to happen, not for a while anyway."

"I thought you said no regrets."

Andy sighed. "I just don't like that his job was affected because of me."

Chris didn't like the somber tone the conversation had taken so he tried to lighten things up again. "So you and Swarek…"

Her eyes widened.

"What?" He pulled his head back quickly. "I was just going to ask if they said you could or couldn't…"

Andy wasn't sure she wanted him to finish that thought. "Frank just said we couldn't be paired together and we'd probably get the short end of the stick for awhile." She motioned around the room, "so I'm guessing this is going to become my second home."

"Did he say anything about keeping it out of the station? I mean he **was** pretty clear about it in the seminar." Chris stopped short for a second. "Hey… how come you guys don't have to get the talk?"

Andy chuckled quietly. "I'm thinking he's pretty sure we've learned our lesson," she responded pulling the paper out of the printer. "Besides too little too late remember."

Chris pursed his lips. "I find that hard to believe."

Andy grinned and her eyes started to twinkle. "Maybe he's just worried that Sam might call him on it."

Chris' head flipped to her in surprise. "On what?"

Andy looked at him incredulous. "Him and Noelle?"

"Him and Noelle what?" Chris asked innocently.

Andy dropped her chin and simply stared at him till he started putting two and two together.

"Are you kidding me?" His voice raised at least two octaves. "But he… and they… he was so convincing. Wait that's why?"

"That's why what?" Andy wondered.

"One day, Shaw yelled out 'inappropriate'. Everyone's eyes shot around the room, but Traci and Jerry were nowhere to be found. Sargent Best ended up yelling at him but I had no idea why." Chris huffed out a breath and shook his head.

"Well that's why. But they're pretty good about keeping it out of site so I don't think too many people know."

"Guess that's the key."

"Yeah," Andy agreed nodding.

"You think you can do it?"

"We have to. I don't think we'll get a second chance."

Chris was nodding along with her when Sam popped his head in the door. "Hey Diaz, you ready to move that guy to holding?"

Chris stood up and watched as Sam winked at Andy. "Shaw said you should go get him once you're all done there."

Chris grabbed the papers, took the guy from the cell and slipped out past Sam who was holding open the door. He looked back at Andy and smirked, tilting his head subtly towards Sam. "Good luck with that."

* * *

Thanks to SairsJ for giving this the once over.

The Final Ballot for the Rookies Choice Awards should be up in the Parade area of the forum soon. Don't forget to vote for your favorites!


	10. Breaking Don

Sorry for the long delay, but I'm really hoping to get back to posting a little more regularly. I have some new ideas for stories but promised myself I would also work on finishing up my last two. I really hope you can remember the story.

This was meant to be the final chapter but it started getting too long and these were supposed to be short quick chapters. Yeah...not so much this time. Also, I didn't want to end on a serious note as the story was meant to be light and fun as well. So I'm thinking I may do one more after this one. Hope you like it.

As always, thanks to SairsJ for giving this the once over.

* * *

**Breaking Don**

Chris grabbed the papers, took the guy from the cell and slipped out past Sam who was holding open the door. He looked back at Andy and smirked, tilting his head subtly towards Sam. "Good luck with that."

Chris chuckled to himself. "With what?" he had heard Sam say before the door closed completely.

"Good luck with what?" Sam repeated even more curious when the blush started to darken Andy's cheeks.

"Keeping it out of the station," she mumbled self-consciously.

He furrowed his brow. "It?" He put two and two together pretty fast though and started to nod. "Ah...so I guess this little visit of mine is throwing a wrench into your plans. What's the matter McNally," he started as he walked, well stalked, towards her.

The blush in her cheeks deepened as she tried to hold back the grin. She knew that look and she began wheeling her chair backwards. "Sam."

"You worried you can't keep your hands to yourself?" he challenged as he continued to close the gap between them.

She shook her head, more in an attempt to discourage his actions than to answer his question. "You can't..."

He flopped down into the seat beside her. "Can't what? Can't come to see whether or not we're going to the Penny after work?"

Her mouth dropped open in surprise.

"Why? What did you think I came to do?"

A nervous laugh escaped her lips. She knew they couldn't, shouldn't, but that didn't stop her from wanting to maybe...

Sam was barely able to hold back the smirk. "You're looking a little torn there McNally. Were you really worried about pushing our luck or just hoping to get lucky?"

Andy was shaking her head again; her face was completely red but she couldn't keep the smile off her face. "You are **not** helping."

Sam's full smile finally broke free, dimples let loose in celebration. Andy turned her head and looked away not wanting him to see the effect they had on her. But the flush of red on the back of her neck told him that he was doing exactly what he wanted to do. And if he played his cards right, they would not be going anywhere near the Penny tonight.

* * *

Dov and Jerry jerked away from their files when they heard Frank's phone hitting the console. Their eyes widened when he looked directly into the D's office, his narrowed when he didn't see the third body.

They knew they were in trouble when he got up and made a move straight for them. He didn't even get fully into the room before the words were on his lips, "Where's Swarek?"

Dov and Jerry exchanged a look, each hoping the other had a plan. "Um...he's uh..."

Best looked quickly between the two of them. "Booking?"

They both nodded in resignation as he turned on his heel. He didn't even register their argument as he left. "You couldn't think of anything?" "I didn't hear you jumping in either."

Frank's mood was already darkened by the phone call and he was in no mood for a rehash of the conduct unbecoming seminar; he couldn't believe they hadn't learned their lesson. _Sam was his friend but he was really putting him in a tough place._

He flipped open the door quickly expecting the two to jump apart but he was pleasantly surprised to see they were simply talking.

They both looked up at the movement, eyes widening when they realized it wasn't Oliver or Chris.

Frank wasn't going to let Sam off the hook though. "Imagine my surprise when I look for you in the D's office and you're nowhere to be found. What are you doing here Sam?"

Sam furrowed his brow; he knew he probably shouldn't have been there but they weren't doing anything wrong. "Diaz had to take someone to holding so I was just..."

"I thought I paired her with Oliver," he challenged.

"Oliver's uh..."

_Did they really think he wouldn't know? _ If he could tell where Swarek was, it certainly didn't take a rocket scientist to know where Shaw would be. "When he's done with his sandwich or whatever he went to get, I'd like to see you two before you leave."

"Oo-kay," Sam answered tentatively, exchanging a look of concern with Andy.

Frank had just reached for the door when Oliver strode in. He took in the look on Frank's face before shifting his gaze to witness a silent conversation going on between Sam and Andy. _This couldn't be good._

"Good!" At Frank's voice, Oliver's gaze shot back to his boss. "You need someone, you pull in Epstein. Let's go you two."

Sam and Andy stood up and he motioned for her to lead the way.

Oliver stood rooted to the spot as first Frank and then Andy moved out into the hall. Before Sam could exit the room though, Shaw grabbed his arm and hissed out under his breath, "He didn't catch you guys in flagrante or anything?"

Sam grimaced at his friend. "What? No! Give us a little credit."

Oliver looked just as stunned. "What? It has been three weeks."

Sam tilted his head in disbelief. "Seriously? You do remember I went eight months undercover..."

"And you never..."

Sam's face was still contorted in confusion, anger, shock. "With who?"

He pulled his arm from Oliver's grasp and exited the room shaking his head before quickening his steps to try and catch up to Andy and Frank.

He hadn't quite reached the duo when he saw Chris barrel around the corner grabbing Andy by the arm. "He didn't catch you...you know?" He whispered anxiously.

"Ew."

She looked up to see that Sam had just joined them. "Not you. I mean that's not ew. I mean, I like it when..."

Sam's dimples dug into his cheeks as he fought to keep the laugh at bay. Andy slapped Chris on the arm as the blush heated up her face. "Thanks a lot. It was booking Chris. Give us a little credit."

Chris didn't get a chance to respond before Frank ran out of patience. "Diaz don't you have work to do?"

"Yes Sir," Chris agreed before rushing off to find Traci.

"Have a seat," Frank instructed, ushering Sam and Andy into his office and shutting the door quickly behind them.

"Frank," Sam started but stopped when he was met with his boss' hand.

Frank walked over and closed the blinds. The number of eyes that dropped to their desks as soon as he looked out did not go unnoticed; the blinds were definitely the right idea.

He sat down behind his desk and blew out a long breath.

"Is something wrong Boss?"

Frank looked torn; it wasn't the worst news but he just hoped that Sam and Andy saw it that way as well. "I'm not sure if you know this, but Detective Boyd had also been suspended for the last three weeks..."

"Three weeks!" Sam interrupted. "Are you kidding me? That's bulls..."

Frank held up his hand again. "Let me finish."

Sam nodded curtly before allowing him to continue. "He was suspended for the three weeks while an investigation took place. He met with the tribunal this morning and he was informed that he would not be reinstated." He met Sam's eye. "He was told he wouldn't be getting his badge back."

Sam and Andy exchanged a look of satisfaction but it was short lived.

"He's fighting it."

* * *

Sam and Andy walked out of Frank's office a few minutes later still a little shell shocked. "What do you think?"

Sam pursed his lips and shook his head slowly. "I don't think he has a leg to stand on."

Andy chuckled humorlessly. "I doubt that's ever stopped him before."

"Probably not. But, whatever, that's his problem."

"You don't think he's going to drag you back into this do you?"

Sam shrugged, "Not if he knows what's good for him."

"I just don't want..."

"Andy, I'm not going to let him get to me okay. I'm done with him. Come on. We're back and that's all that matters; let's not let Boyd ruin it. Now what do you say?" He gave a quick tilt of his head and lowered his voice. "Let me take you home?"

Andy couldn't help the grin. She felt like she couldn't say yes the last time he made that specific offer but right now she wanted nothing more. It didn't matter what everyone would think; in fact, it didn't even cross her mind. She started to close the distance between them before she clued in to where she was. She pulled back. "Meet you at the truck in ten?"

"I can be there in five," he countered with a waggle of his eyebrows.

He was still smiling as he heard her laughter echo into the locker room. And the smile only faded because he was almost run over by Chris and Dov. "It's up to you!" They yelled back.

"Were they talking to me?" Sam queried when he came face to face with Oliver.

"Uh..."

* * *

Chris and Dov barreled out into the hallway with a "Go, go!"

Traci ducked in behind Andy with Gail trailing behind. Andy was already half dressed with a huge smile on her face. "You weren't going to leave without us were you?"

Andy looked a little sheepish. "I, uh... first day back you know, guess I'm just a little tired."

"You're moving pretty fast for someone who claims she's tired," Gail noted dryly.

"Just want to get home..."

"And get to bed, yeah, we get it," Traci teased.

Andy hid her face behind her locker door, trying to conceal the deep red hue that had taken it over.

"Did you know that your neck turns red when you blush?" Gail wondered aloud.

Andy closed her locker with a little more force than was necessary, unable to hide her frustration. "As much as I'd love to continue this conversation, I have..."

"Plans, yep we get it. Better get a move on then," Traci rushed practically pushing her out the door.

Andy furrowed her brow in confusion but allowed her friend to lead her out. They were quickly joined by Chris and Dov and Andy found herself engulfed in the middle of the group. She continued to alternate her gaze amongst all her friends as they exited the building. It wasn't until she realized that they were leading her in the opposite direction of Sam's truck that she started to worry.

She reached out her arm to point in the other direction. "Guys, I'm supposed to..."

"Celebrate," Traci agreed, adding "with us... at the Penny."

"No, I..."

"You what? Don't want to celebrate with your friends?" Traci taunted.

Andy let out a long resigned breath. "Can I at least go let him know that I'm being taken against my will?"

"No way!" Traci refuted. "Send him a text. Better yet, I will."

* * *

Sam was still grumbling when he made his way out of his truck in the Penny parking lot. Oliver had abandoned him the second the text came through.

Sam was so lost in his thoughts of where he should have been that he didn't notice the figure until it pushed off the side of the fence.

"How's the straightjacket Sammy?"

Sam didn't even look over; he just kept walking towards the entrance. "Pretty sure I'm not the one that's in a bind here."

"Come on Sammy," he challenged. "Hear me out. You owe me at least that."

That definitely stopped Sam in his tracks as he spun on his heel to level the full force of his glare at the man who had almost cost him his life. "I **owe** you?" Sam yelled. "You just about got me killed."

Boyd stepped around to face Sam. "Come on buddy, you know that was just a misunderstanding; I never meant for that to happen," he pleaded. "What about all the other times I had your back? And who was the one that called you for all those UC jobs? You were my go to guy... still could be."

Sam huffed out a single chuckle. "You expect me to believe that was for my benefit? You only did that because I made you look good. I'm the best you got."

"**Were**, Sammy," Boyd disputed. "You **were** the best, but you let **that rookie** mess with your head. After your screw up..." he smirked back at Sam, "literally... no one's going to want to put you under."

Sam just stared through him.

It didn't take long for the silence to get to Boyd. "But you know if I was still..."

Sam's chin dropped as his eyebrows shot up in surprise. "That's how you're going to play this?"

_Well, that __**was**__ how he was going to play it but clearly it wasn't going to work._ "Why so grumpy, Sammy? Honeymoon over already?"

"What are you talking about?"

"McNally. She blew your second undercover... and who knows what else," he sneered under his breath. "Then what? Missed the excitement of sneaking around and kicked you to the curb? I already saw her run in there laughing with her friends. She tired of you already?"

Sam's jaw clenched along with his hands, both trying to hold back what they wanted to level at Boyd. The man was playing with fire.

"You can admit it you know," he pressed. "You must have doubts. How do you know it was the boat and not her? How do you know he didn't make McNally first and the boat was just..."

Sam opened his mouth to respond but didn't get the chance. "He didn't make me," she asserted.

Boyd turned around to see the door of the Penny close behind Andy. He tilted his head in doubt. "And what makes you so sure?"

Andy shrugged her shoulders. "I'm here."

"What the f..."

"She's..." Sam started to agree with Andy but she didn't give him a chance to finish.

"I'm an easier mark than Sam; if he made me, he could have easily taken me and just dumped me as soon as he picked me up outside JD's apartment."

Both Andy and Boyd missed the pained look that crossed Sam's face; he had spent three weeks trying to forget about all the different scenarios where either he or Andy could have become another fatal statistic on Brennan's rap sheet. That one had played prominently in his mind when he found out about it on the truck ride home the night he was rescued.

Boyd wasn't convinced. "Maybe he didn't want to hurt a woman; plus he knew he could get to Swarek. Probably thought he knew more anyway."

Andy was shaking her head doubtfully. _Trust Boyd to think that a woman would be of less use than a man. _"If he made me, wouldn't he worry that I would call and warn Sam?"

Sam opened his mouth to agree but she was on a roll. "And you know he's not that moral. He killed that security guard, single mother, two kids; that ring any bells? Pretty sure he wouldn't have had any trouble leaving me at Cherry Beach."

"You're just trying to ease your guilty conscience."

Andy laughed though there was little humor in the sound. "**My** guilty conscience? Give me a break, Boyd. It was that crappy cover story of yours and you know it."

She took a step forward into Boyd's personal space but it was the look in her eyes that had him taking a step back. "Tell me, were you hoping to get Sam made? Did you think it would force Brennan to get back to his old ways?"

Sam was shocked; that hadn't even occurred to him.

Boyd looked away from her to gauge Sam's reaction, noting first the surprise and then the suspicion. "Come on Sammy, you know I would never..." he stuttered.

Sam just shook his head. "I don't know anything about you anymore."

Boyd was quick to defend himself. "Hey, I'm not the only one that works on these things you know. I have people who build the covers."

"So, what?" Andy queried. "You don't double check them?"

"Well, usually..."

She didn't let him finish. "I know; you have people who do that for you."

Boyd opened his mouth before Andy shut him down again. "But I don't care if that's not your job." She pressed her finger into his chest. "You damn well need to make sure it happens."

Boyd was stammering trying to regain the upper hand. "The op got bumped up; you know that." He looked over at Sam for backup but he realized quickly that it wouldn't be coming. "I was supposed to have three weeks..."

Andy threw her hands in the air. "You know what, whatever... I will never forgive you for what you put Sam through, but I'm not the one you need to worry about. You covered up a murder. They charge you yet?"

"Deals are made all the time, sweetheart."

Andy cringed at the derisive endearment. "Wasn't your call to make," she disputed.

Sam was busy watching the back and forth and his pride in Andy was written all over his face. Pride wasn't the only thing he was feeling though and not for the first time that night, he was thinking about getting her home as soon as possible.

Boyd glanced over at the look of contentment on Sam's face; he seemed more than happy to let Andy fight his battle. "I guess we know who wears the pants in this relationship," he sneered.

Andy couldn't believe his nerve and was already lifting her chin in defiance. "We're a team, Boyd; not that you'd know anything about that. Sometimes I wear the pants, sometimes he does, sometimes it's neither of us but it..."

Sam's jaw dropped open and a choked off breath of surprise escaped effectively ending Andy's tirade and causing her to quickly replay the words back to herself. Her chin dropped to her chest.

It was the kind of classic McNally that had Sam's dimples fighting a losing battle... until Sam's gaze drifted over to Boyd. And the dimples were gone... clearly Sam wasn't the only one with a good imagination.

"If the next word out of your mouth is not goodbye, you'll probably want to reconsider."

Boyd had seen that look before; Sam usually reserved it for those clinging to the lowest rung of the dirt bag food chain and Boyd knew that now was not the time. "This isn't over," he promised.

"It is for me," Sam vowed before placing his hand on the small of Andy's back. "Let's go McNally."

"I mean it Swarek."

Sam didn't even bother to look back. "Yeah, yeah, see you in court."

As soon as Boyd walked away, Andy blew out a long breath, her face finally returning to its normal color. "Thanks."

"Hey, I should be thanking you."

"Sa-am."

"Have I ever told you how sexy you are when you're defending my honor?"

Andy was shaking her head and trying to hold back the grin, when Sam leaned in even closer and lowered his voice. "Could this be one of those times when neither of us..."

Andy's laugh was cut short when the door to the Penny swung open and startled her. Oliver looked just as surprised to see them before a smile broke out on his face and he leaned back into the bar yelling, "yeah, yeah, keep your pants on; they're right here."


	11. And He Never Saw It Coming

He did it again… Oliver even took over the McSwarek chapter. This is the last one; I hope you enjoy it. Ending's a little hokey, but it worked for me.

Hint: A quick re-read of chapter 4 may be in order.

Thanks: To SairsJ for making sure I have my i's dotted and my t's crossed. And mamaverd for letting me test out my ideas on her.

* * *

**And He Never Saw it Coming**

Andy's laugh was cut short when the door to the Penny swung open and startled her. Oliver looked just as surprised to see them before a smile broke out on his face and he leaned back into the bar yelling, "Yeah, yeah, keep your pants on; they're right here."

Andy's laugh bubbled up again and Sam couldn't help but chuckle along with her. Oliver furrowed his brow as he looked between the two of them. "What's so funny?"

Sam just shook his head as he guided Andy through the door; he looked back at his friend. "You don't want to know, buddy. Trust me."

Oliver frowned; he didn't like being out of the loop but he also knew he wouldn't get anything more out of Sam. "What took you so long then?" he asked, hustling in behind the pair. "We were beginning to think that McNally talked you into ditching us."

Andy turned around and pointed her finger at Oliver as she walked backwards. "It would serve you right, hijacking me like that."

Oliver threw his hands in the air. "Hey, don't blame me; that scheme had rookie written all over it."

"Oh, and what would you have done?" Andy challenged.

"Well, with all my years of experience…" He bragged, stopping abruptly when Andy started rolling her eyes.

He waited patiently 'til she finally shook her head and fought back the grin trying to make its way onto her face. "Please…" she encouraged waving at him to go on.

"As I was saying," he continued, "if my many years of experience have taught me one thing, it's…"

Oliver paused dramatically, "... if you want to pull a fast one on Sam..."

Andy raised her eyebrows in anticipation.

Oliver winked at her, "…DON'T!"

Sam rewarded Oliver with an over the shoulder smirk.

"So you had **no** idea then…" Andy doubted.

"Um…."

"Yeah, that's what I thought," she huffed.

Sam used the hand that was guiding Andy to spin her towards him again. He planned to lead her straight to the bar so he slid his fingers around to their favorite spot at the small of her back. He would generally smile if he met flesh, but this time it was not at all what he was expecting.

He pushed Oliver's hand away and tugged Andy a little closer

Oliver chuckled. "Easy, Brother, I was just going to show the lady to the table."

Sam's arm relaxed a bit but he didn't relinquish his hold on her. "You'll forgive me if I don't exactly trust any of you right now," he replied.

Oliver flashed his palms in surrender. "Hey, I'm innocent."

"Innocent? Ha! More like an accessory," Sam countered.

Oliver chuckled as he motioned over to the table. "I'll just be over here, Officer; I won't cause you any more trouble. I can give you my statement whenever you're ready."

Sam rolled his eyes before turning back to Andy who was resting her arms against the bar. Liam was busy helping another customer so Sam sidled up beside her to wait. He watched her take a furtive glance back to the table and followed her eyes to find Oliver already engrossed in conversation.

Andy leaned in further against him. "You know, we don't have to stay." She tipped her head to the door and grinned. "I bet we could make it."

Sam smirked and looked at the door to judge the distance. He was just about to agree when his eyes roamed back towards the table and found Oliver staring right at him. "Don't even think about it ," Oliver warned.

Sam shook his head while Andy sighed in disappointment. He bent down next to her ear. "One drink and then we're out of here," he promised.

Andy smiled in response and it lit up the entire room, and something in Sam. He couldn't take his eyes off her; three weeks had been way too long without seeing her whenever he wanted.

The look in his eyes stirred something in her too and they were caught in each other's gaze until they heard someone clearing their throat nearby. They turned to see Liam smirking in front of them and had no idea how long he had been there. Sam didn't have to look at Andy to know she was blushing; he felt her turn into him obviously trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Give the lady anything she wants," Sam instructed before he turned back to Andy. But he didn't realize how close she was until he found himself within inches of her face. His smile shifted into something deeper and they could both feel the pull. Andy leaned in a little closer and Sam found himself mirroring her actions.

Liam shifted uncomfortably beside them and they both froze as they remembered exactly where they were. Andy could see Sam's mind working, debating, resisting what she knew he wanted to do. But it wasn't just their friends here, and she knew tongues would be wagging about them no matter what. She gave him a soft smile, letting him know it was up to him. It was almost his undoing, her absolute willingness to give up the control to him.

Liam leaned over. "It's not like it's going to make a difference. They're all looking anyway."

Sam shifted away to glance around the room and sure enough, the only table that wasn't fully focused on them was their own. He put his hand on the small of Andy's back and pulled her back in close. He leaned in like he was going to kiss her but at the last second his head shifted to the side so he could whisper in her ear. "I'm not really the PDA type, McNally."

"It's fine, Sam," Andy agreed easily before quirking an eyebrow and lowering her voice to barely a whisper. "You can give me the Private Display later."

Sam's dimples came out in full force as he leaned back into his own space, but of course Shaw had to have witnessed the entire exchange. "What? That's it? I thought you said you missed her, man."

Oliver definitely couldn't miss the glare Sam sent his way, but that didn't stop him. "McNally, why the hell would you go back for that?"

Andy's mouth dropped open in surprise, but it didn't take long for her to close it and a look of pure mischief to light up her face. She picked up her drink and led Sam over to the table. As she walked by Oliver to get to the empty seat between him and Traci she leaned over his shoulder. "If I showed you what I went back for, you'd probably have to arrest me."

Oliver scrunched up his face. "I did not need to know that."

Andy and Traci giggled. "You asked for it."

"No I did not…"

The girls started to protest before he held up his hand. "No, I didn't," he repeated. "This is how it works. I say stuff like that and Sammy there glares at me and grumbles out one or two words claiming he has no idea what I'm talking about." He waved his hands over to Sam who was standing there grinning like a fool. He wasn't exactly sure what Andy had said, but he could make a pretty good guess the way Oliver was squirming.

Oliver blinked a few times as he jerked his head back, "well that's a new one."

"That's the grin of a contented man," Traci noted. She turned to Andy, "you sure you guys didn't spend a little happy time in interrogation today."

Andy grabbed her glass and took a quick drink hoping to conceal the blush she knew was coming.

"You did!" Traci accused.

"File Room," Andy mumbled.

"What?"

"I said file room," Andy clarified before turning to Oliver with a smirk. "Did you know those file boxes are surprisingly strong?"

Oliver stood up abruptly causing all conversations at the table to stop. "I can't sit here anymore."

Traci snickered. "Welcome to the wonderful world of women Oliver."

All of the color drained from his face as he thought about how Izzie had just talked to him the other day about wanting to date. "I can't even…" He shook his head trying to rid it of all the errant images.

"What?" Andy asked, her brown eyes widening innocently.

"Uh-uh, no way; you can stop the innocent act, missy. I know better."

"Oliver, I have no idea…"

He waved his hand in front of his body. "Hello, father of three girls here."

The two women chuckled as did the rest of the table. They all knew what happened when Traci and Andy got together. Jerry had heard her and Traci on more than one occasion when driving them home from a girls' night. The rookies, well let's just say they spent way too much time together in the academy.

"Keep your woman under control, Swarek."

It was on the tip of Sam's tongue. _I like her out of control._

Oliver looked at Sam and he could see it in his eyes. "Oh my God." He turned to Andy, "what have you done to my friend?"

Andy giggled impishly. "I thought you said you didn't want to know."

The whole table burst out laughing again as Oliver pushed away from his chair. "I'm going to need another drink if I have to put up with the dynamic duo here."

"Better make it two, Ollie," Jerry advised, "it helps to get a little buzz going when dealing with this pair."

Sam dared a glance over at Dov whose eyes had widened marginally when the memory hit him too.

"You!" Oliver yelled out.

Both Sam and Dov bolted up in their seats. Oliver furrowed his brow at the unexpected reaction, "what the…" He shook his head.

"You!" He pointed directly at Sam. "Sit between those two," he ordered, waving his finger between Traci and Andy before leaning against the bar and placing his order.

"No problem." Sam grinned tapping Dov on the shoulder on his way by. "I got your back, buddy," Sam assured, "you got a friend in me."

Oliver's eyes narrowed. _Why would he… why does that sound familiar? _

Dov perked up immediately. "Oh, that reminds me. Sue wants to go see Toy Story 3; anyone else up for it? Oliver? You up for it?"

Oliver didn't turn around but everyone could see his whole body tense up.

Jerry's mouth dropped open in shock; he knew the story_, but would Sam… and how would Epstein…_

Sam didn't even sit down; he just reached over and grabbed Andy's hand, tugging her up. "We should go."

"But I haven't even…"

"Trust me; it's better if we leave now."

"Oh-kay. I'll see you guys…" She didn't even get a chance to finish her sentence before Sam had her halfway to the door.

She shrugged her shoulders as she looked back to the table. Everyone else seemed to be just as stunned as she was with the exception of Dov, who for some unknown reason to her looked almost smug.

As soon as Dov opened his mouth, Sam picked up his pace and jogged the last few steps to the door.

"You know the story don't you Oliver? Buzz? Woody? That little wiener dog? You finding it hard to remember?"

The door hadn't quite swung closed behind them when Oliver's voice boomed out above all the noise from the bar. "Sam-my!"

Sam's laugh echoed out into the night and he was still chuckling when they approached the truck. Andy was happy to leave with him but she had no idea what the hurry was. Sam hadn't let go of her hand so she tugged on his arm and slowed her gait to get him to stop. "Not that I'm complaining, but what just happened there?"

"What do you mean?" Sam asked in faux innocence. "I seem to remember **some**one wanting to sneak out right after we got in the door."

Andy quirked an eyebrow and dropped her chin; she was not going to let him put this on her. "**Why** is Oliver so upset?"

Sam's dimples burrowed into his cheeks and his eyes lit in mischief. Andy couldn't help but smile back; she loved seeing the fun, carefree side of Sam.

And apparently he appreciated a happy, smiling Andy because he immediately pulled her in close and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "Three weeks, McNally. You sure you want to be talking about Shaw right now."

Andy's eyes sparkled and her lips ghosted across Sam's as she spoke. "I know **exactly** what I want."

Sam hummed his agreement before he closed the distance between them and gave her more of the contact they both craved.

He kept it slow and tender and pulled away only when he felt his control slipping. He couldn't help but smile as Andy's moan turned into a sigh of disappointment. And that was the sight that greeted her when she opened her eyes. "Let me take you home," he whispered.

Andy could only nod and he led her quickly around the truck. As soon as she was settled, he jogged over and jumped into the driver's side, shooting Andy a quick wink before putting the key in the ignition and starting it up.

He placed his arm on her seat, and looked over his shoulder as he backed out of the spot. Turning to the front, he met her eyes again and she offered him a soft smile. In that moment, he couldn't remember ever being that happy, that content, and for the first time in a long time, he wanted more.

They were too wrapped in their little cocoon to see Epstein bolt out of the Penny with Oliver hot on his heels, but the sentiment rang out clear behind them.

"To infinity and beyond!"


End file.
